Violets are Blue
by Akizakura202
Summary: Sequel to RaR. A masked Grass nin is caught outside Konoha's gates by preteen ANBU Op Uchiha Ao; he had surrendered when he saw her face. When she sees his. . . . Relationships will either mend or tear with the truth behind Sasuke's disappearance. Abandoned, but seriously looking to rewrite and reboot.
1. Sour Milk and Tuna

**Chapter One: Sour Milk and Tuna **

Uchiha Ao sat on one of the tree branches just outside her village, scanning the area with trained eyes. Her manner was very calm, for being a twelve-year-old ANBU operative, as she leisurely bit sweet dumplings from a stick. The near-pubescent girl was dressed in ANBU garb, with her late father's sword strapped to her back and his mask on her lap.

Six years as a ninja had hardened this preteen, not in body solely, but also in heart. Muscle seemed lean, but was unprecedented by age or gender. Size made for her opponents to underestimate her strength. That is why, she presented herself as not a girl, but a feminine male; by the length of her hair, which was just long enough to hang over her face, many were duped.

When one looked at her eyes, they would see dark pools in which the shine of innocence was dwarfed immensely by death she had already witnessed in her young life. Thinking she was not alert when her actions were at their most listless would be a fool's thought, once seeing that.

A sneer came to her face as she tossed a naked dumpling stick and closed over her face with the mask. She had heard the snap of a twig in otherwise soundless scenery. A possible threat to her village was near, and was about to be taken into custody by her hands.

She stood on the branch and then dashed stealthily amongst the other ones, moving quickly to find her quarry before it moved far. Chakra on the soles of her feet softened the impact of landing, masking most of her movements to where they were nearly silent. Soon, she would come to a crouch as the target came in sight.

Adult male, approximately six feet in height, dark ebony hair. Long bangs framed his masked face, which also hid his eyes, and there were spikes fluffed up in the back. Ao recognized his clothing to be native to the Grass Country, to whom Konoha currently held no alliance. A headband confirmed his homeland.

Ao stayed silent, momentarily, as she watched the man. The fact that he was creeping around the Hidden Leaf Village told her that his intentions were most likely of a foul purpose. Strange, it was, that he was alone then—or so it seemed—but she arrived to the supposition that he, like herself, preferred to work solo. She jumped down and landed silently beside him, belittled by his size.

"The Village Gates are a little more East," she teased in a low voice, "perhaps I should escort you inside."

Just as she spoke those words, the Grass ninja pulled out a kunai and swiped it at her, but she guarded herself with the armor on her forearm. Her other arm quickly jabbed at his stomach, but he caught her fist. He took his kunai and attempted to stab the arm he caught, but she tore it from his grip and distanced herself.

"Who are you? What business do you have here?" she asked, pulling out some kunai that she threw; he threw back the same amount with enough accuracy that they clashed. He did not pause, and darted to her with incredible speed. Ao was able to miss being slammed into by his fist barely. He quickly followed up with another punch as she was backing up, and knocked off her mask; she was not physically damaged by the hit.

At that sight the masked stranger hesitated. Ao stood warily, watching to see if he was simply trying to ruse her. Then, he raised both of his arms in surrender. The young operative looked at him disbelievingly. Grown men did not often surrender to a child, she had come to learn. Few would surrender even to men their age.

So then why was he there, not yet knowing the extent of her abilities, having landed the first punch, and learning she was in fact only child, surrendering?

She kept her guard up as she approached him, taking one hand into her kunai pouch for manacles that were specially developed to suppress a captive's chakra. He did not move; the empty eyes of his mask stared at her passively. The closer she came to him, the more distrusting she became.

When she came close enough, she slid behind him, grabbed his hands, and locked his wrists into the cuffs behind him. He had not struggled one bit. "Well then . . . I'll take you in . . . don't try anything," she warned, and began to lead him into the village.

**

* * *

**

Beneath bleach-blonde hair that loosely curved and curled in a mass on top of his head, the young boy's brow furrowed in all the deep concentration a six-year-old freshman Academy student could summon. His skin was fair, a smidgen darkened with an apricot tinge, under a black fur-lined, orange hoodie, and shorts of the same color stopped an inch above his knees.

His companion, perhaps a year or so older, was less concentrated, but regarded the street below with mild interest, as well. This boy had deep rosette locks piled on his scalp and purple eyes stood against his peach skin. He wore a black tee and white shorts; bandages on his knees and shins led into blue, traditional zori. A beautiful raven, young and healthy with its glossy, stygian coat, perched on his shoulder. It preened its feathers.

The boys hid on a light-green roof belonging to Konoha's Library in the Leaf Village Center. They were low, attentive, in anticipation. Violet eyes averted to the left.

"Hatsumomo," called the pink-haired boy quietly, "when's this man supposed to show? I'm bored!" His bird cawed in agreement.

"Shut up, Pinku!" responded the blonde. "How many times I gotta tell ya t'call me 'Hatsu'? Hate that name." He looked down the street. "An' I don' know . . . but he'll come. He awways gets books 'bout now."

"I see."

"Where?!"

"No, I meanted like 'Oh, I understand' or 'oh okay.'"

"Oh." Hatsumomo continued to scope with his inherited lavendar-white eyes from Hyuuga ancestry. Girlish lashes shadowed over a part of his irises. They brightened with recognition. "There he is! Get the balloons ready!" The boys pulled the bag from behind to in-between them as they sank lower, waiting for their target to arrive at the correct mark.

The man whom they were watching had supernaturally white skin, like a sheet of paper, contrasting greatly with his ink black hair and eyes. His haircut was short and plain, simply covering his scalp, forehead, and part of the nape of his neck. A black Konoha headband tied around his forehead. He wore a black, tight turtleneck with a red zipper down the middle. One sleeve was short, the other was long. His pants stopped half-way down his shin, not quite as tight as the shirt and was held up by a red belt. Black, fingerless gloves completed the rig.

Pinku frowned. "That guy dresses funny. Your mom's going out with _him?_"

With an expression full of vexation, Hatsumomo nodded. "His name's Sai; he draws lotsa pictures." Although the statement itself was innocent and in-fact, it was said contemptuously as he reached for a balloon. Pinku followed suit. Sai was approaching. ". . . NOW!"

When Sai had reached an imaginary mark, both boys stood and began pelting the balloons from the roof in quick succession. Balloons in gold, reds, and greens with patterns of clouds, symbols, and summoning animals broke against his body and released a foul-smelling concoction that was not entirely liquidated. Sai raised his arms to shield his face, as did some of the passers-by as they were hit accidentally, as well.

Quickly, the boys ran out of ammunition, and their mischievous snickers turned into guffaws as they turned and fell to their rumps, holding busting guts. Their bodies shook as they slapped each other's hands victoriously.

Searching not very diligently for his assailants, Sai began wiping the substance off himself. It was a mush in a milky liquid, possibly milk itself. The mush looked to him like tuna fish.

Expression turning sour like the milk that had sunken into his clothes and still clung to his skin, he glared at the rooftop, knowing the origin of the attack. Two little boys, one whom he knew, peeked over the edge, and then quickly ducked down. He was not one to pay children much regard, so he did not yell or scream at them.

A female chuunin came up to him, wearing a red three-quarter-sleeved top under her vest, black capris, and summery, feminine zori. She had long, dark hair that waved and curled like Hatsumomo's as it fell over her shoulders and back. She also had pearlescent Hyuuga eyes.

"Sai!" she exclaimed, hardly containing a humored grin, "what the heck happened to you?"

On the roof, Hatsumomo abruptly stopped laughing and scrambled to lay on his belly and peek over the rooftop, round-eyed. He tried to remain hidden. Next to him, Pinku also laid down, and his bird left his shoulder, following suit, "What's wrong, Hatsu?" he asked, and was immediately shushed.

"It's my _mommy,_" Hatsumomo whispered with a note of fear. "She can't know I'm up here! She tolded me t'stop pranking him!"

"Uh oh! She might tell my mommy, too!" Pinku ducked lower, as did Hatsumomo. The former looked at his bird and pulled him down; the bird squawked protest. "Tori, you gotta hide, too!"

Back on ground level, Uchiha Krystal's barely contained grin had turned cross as she looked at the roof where her son and his friend hid. "I'm sorry, Sai, I told him not to do it again . . . he's too much like his uncle." _I don't understand his problem . . . he didn't know Sasuke, so he shouldn't be mad, thinking I'm replacing him. I'd expect it from Ao, but not from Momo._

"It's fine," he replied, but his smile seemed fabricated.

Quite used to this, Krystal drew the corner of her mouth with little enthusiasm and said, "Well then . . . I'd better, er . . . punish him, then, and you should clean up. Should I meet you at your place tonight? We can go for dinner, once I get the kids situated with Dad 'n' Annora, if they get here as soon as planned."

Sai's smile turned real. "Sure. Sounds good."

"Good," Krystal grinned. "I'll see you later, then." She considered giving him a quick farewell kiss, but hesitated to wipe his mouth, in case any excess substance was left behind, and then indulged. Even with the slightly malodorous stench hanging around him, she tasted a spell of his magic, and sucked a little of it in before breaking it. "Bye."

"Bye."

Sai departed in the direction of his apartment, and Krystal turned her attention to the roof again, where she briefly saw a head of blonde and of pink hair before they ducked down again. She sighed and hopped up onto the roof.

**

* * *

**

Krystal opened the gates of the Uchiha Estate and grinned widely at the couple she met. She moved forward and grabbed the man, fifty-two in his age yet still looking great, in a tight bear hug. He was a brunette, light-skinned with gentle, lazuline eyes. Grey hairs had been dyed over, and crinkles by his eyes and mouth mostly creased when he smiled.

"Afternoon, stranger," she greeted as he returned the embrace.

"Good morning," Yuuta replied, rubbing her back. "Good to see you."

"Good to see you, too." She released him and turned to his wife, embracing her, as well. "Annora." The woman was twelve years junior to her husband at forty, and had taken precautions against showing her age. Her hair was dyed black and came to her shoulders around a heart-shaped face with burnt umber eyes and dark rosette lips. Crow's feet appeared at her eyes, but the elasticity in any other part of her face had not yet been affected. She wore a light-weight dress and a sunhat as she smiled and said, "Mornin', kiddo, long time no see."

"Mhm. Come on in, Ao's not home yet, but Momo'll be glad to see you; he's a little upset at the moment," replied the younger woman. She helped with some of their luggage, for they would be in the Uchiha Estate for an extensive stay.

"Why is that?" asked Yuuta as he and Annora followed Krystal inside.

"Him and one of his friends—Pink? Pinky? Pinku!—attacked Sai with water balloons full of sour milk and tuna—," she was interrupted by the elder couple's snorts and shot them a glare, "—so I grounded him. I'll need you two to enforce that for the next week while I'm gone. He'll come straight home after the Academy, and will have to stay inside, no friends. Can you do that for me?"

"Sure, but you never told us where exactly it is you're going for the next three months. Mission, right?"

Krystal nodded. "Britain. Maboroshi-sama asked for me specifically to run his Academy since he'll be severely understaffed. Hayden, who originally runs it and is one of the few people in the country trained in the ninja arts where the classrooms are already too full, is going on a spying mission in the Rain Country."

"Why?"

"Suspicious behavior. It's a long story, but there's reason to believe they want to start a war over lands, and Britain wants to find out with who and if there's any truth to it. Anyway, Britain's one of our allies, and Maboroshi-sama's a friend, so I couldn't turn it down. Oh, and I happen to be most fluent in English, thanks to the two of you."

She smiled, stopping in front of a room and set down a bag so she could slide open the door. "This is where you'll be sleeping," she said whilst showing them inside and elbowing the switch on. The queen-sized bed perpendicular to the left wall, the dresser against the opposite wall, the round table with two chairs in the corner, and the bedside tables on either side were all illuminated.

"Gramma! Grappa!" called a young voice excitedly. Moments later, Annora felt a collision with her backside as little arms and legs wrapped around her; Hatsumomo's face buried into the small of her back. She laughed and tried to twist in order to see him, but soon gave up and brought her hands back, barely able to reach his head to pat it.

"Hey, youngun', ya lookin' forward to spendin' time with us old timers?"

"Yeah!"

"Good, because we'll be having a lot of fun while Mommy's away!" Yuuta injected as he gently pulled the boy from Annora and hugged him tight, swinging him about a bit; the boy laughed.

"Watch it, Old timer, you'll throw your back out."

He snorted and set his grandson down before turning to his wife, crossing his arms. "You ought to holster those age jokes a bit, you're not exactly jail bait anymore, dear. Actually, you're reaching the age of a _cougar, _if you so choose."

Annora gasped.

"Dad!" Krystal covered Hatsumomo's ears. "Don't say things like that in front of Momo! He's only six!"

Hatsumomo frowned. "Hatsu! 'Momo' is so . . . _girly._"

"I'm your mother, I'll call you whatever. Room. Now."

"But Mommy, what's a cougar? What's jail bait—?"

"Room!"

He did not require being told a third time.

Krystal sighed. "For old timers, or whatever you are, you sure act like children . . . with a colorful vocabulary. Unpack" She did not wait for their responses, and walked away. If Zakuro and Gai had not taken a second honeymoon, she would have them watch her children, hoping not to return home with Ao and Hatsumomo wearing garish green jumpsuits and shouting "the power of youth!" Now, her worries were of a lack of censorship and having to give many explanations . . . which she would prefer right now was a toss up between the two.

She turned a corner and soon found her daughter walking outside of the kitchen. She was now in her normal wear, including a dark blue elbow-sleeved shirt that fit close to her skin under an open, light-weight, short-sleeved, button-up, colored a lighter blue and loose white shorts held up with a yellow belt. An Uchiha symbol adorned the back of her shirt. In this outfit, though a close look at body shape would have made one realize she was a girl, she looked like a boy.

"Hey, Ao, when'd you come home?"

"Approximately ten minutes ago, I think," she responded. "I would've stayed a bit later, but my captive's unconscious. Found someone near the Gates, acting suspicious. He was . . . interesting, to say the least. Grass." The preteen walked into the kitchen.

Krystal followed with an inquiring brow. "Interesting how?"

She did not answer right away, but stepped to the cupboard and obtained a glass. That in hand, she went to the refrigerator and withdrew a carton of orange juice, pushing the door closed with her bare feet. Krystal watched from the other side of the island counter, slipping onto one of the stools and putting her elbow on the counter.

Ao paused in-between the island and the fridge, staring off into space. "Many ways. He was completely alone, did not speak a word at all. Something about him felt . . . familiar. Especially his movements." She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders before bringing the carton and the glass to the top of the counter. She began unscrewing the lid.

Krystal looked thoughtful as she watched the juice pour into the glass. "You've fought a lot of ninja. If he's a common one from Grass, it's likely his movements are familiar because they're that—common."

"That's not it, though. I know common Grass arts. Those movements weren't them. . . ." She stopped pouring the juice and set the carton aside, pausing in her speech. There was a theory of where she had seen them, but a protective part of her mind told her to hold her tongue. Her eyes searched her mother. Once averting them, she slid onto a stool opposite of her and took a drink. "Well anyway, I don't know where I've seen it, before."

"Oh." Krystal took the carton which Ao had failed to cap, and closed it before circling the corners of the island to return it to the refrigerator.

Ao held her cup with both hands, stroking the side with her right thumb, staring ahead with her thoughts masked behind a concentrated brow. She lifted that hand and began tracing the tip of her finger along the rim. "He knocked off my mask . . . saw that I was a child . . . hn, he had amazing speed, and totally had the upper hand . . . yet, when he saw my face . . . he **surrendered.**"

Krystal looked at her. "Surrendered . . .? Maybe he got a good look at your cute little face and got sweet on you," she teased, chuckling to herself. Then, she frowned. "On second thought, how old is he?"

The girl shrugged. "Body structure suggested adulthood/late adolescence. But I didn't see his face. He wore a mask, and if it's still on when I capture the suspect, I always wait to unveil the face until Ootoji-sama's there 'cause we like unmasking them together. On my way, taking him in, he tried getting away from me when we were somewhere near the Library, so I put an electric charge on my fingertips and poked him, forestalling him and rendering him unconscious. I prefer seeing my captive's angry face when unveiling him—otherwise it's no fun—so Ootoji-sama agreed to wait 'til he's conscious."

"Ah . . . sounds like real fun."

"Yes, actually, he ought to wake up by morning, so I'll get to interrogate first thing. Might be interesting. Grass shares borders with us and Rain, and is allied with Rain and River. Isn't the whole reason you're going to Britain because they're checking out Rain? Maybe there's a connection."

Krystal stood next to her and placed her hands on the counter. "Well, I hope not. If there is, we could be looking at an attack, or worse, war. Those countries are land-hungry."

Ao grinned. "Don't worry, Mom, I'll protect you and Momo. Plus, it'd be strategically irresponsible for those three countries to start a war with us. We've got Sand on our sides, and since River's sandwiched between, they'd be at a great disadvantage. Moreover, we're allied with Waterfall and Britain, too. They'd have to be completely daft."

Her mother smiled back. "Whatever you say." She leaned over and pecked her daughter's crown. "Speaking of my mission, I'll be leaving Konoha after a few hours with Sai, so I'd better get started now. Be good for Grandma and Grandpa, stay out of trouble, do as Naruto-kun says, try to be nice to your brother."

Ao rolled her eyes and returned the two-armed hug from her mother with one arm. "I always follow his orders . . . just not always yours." She returned a look with a smile. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be good, won't change anything drastically, protect everyone, the works."

"Good," Krystal laughed. She left the kitchen.

The girl watched the doorway for a few moments before turning her gaze to the counter, eyes hard. Her thoughts were unreadable, but she tapped her thumb and then drummed the rest of her fingers on the table in one single succession. Her eyes narrowed. Then, she shook it off and drew the glass to her lips once again.

**

* * *

**

A darkness had befallen Konoha with a turn of the Earth, illuminated by far away points of burning gases and a full circle reflection of light. Lanterns hanging from the corners of shops, edges of roofs, and the glow of signs made the village alive in the child night. Most children were home, and when the children are tucked away, the adults will come to play.

While some men were drinking and chasing skirts, and some women slouched over men's shoulders, pressing the swell of their breasts against their backs, Krystal and Sai were just outside his apartment. Her back was pressed against the door as he trailed kisses from under her earlobe down her neck, sweet and soft with the occasional nibble. He had one hand on the slender curve of her hip, and the other fumbled in his pocket for his key.

He found them around the time his bottom lip nicked her cleavage (she was wearing a red dress for their date) and raised his head to kiss her mouth as the key was inserted to the lock. She giggled a little and placed her hands on his shoulders. When the door was unlocked, he looped his arm to the small of her back and opened the door, guiding her inside.

Kicking the door closed, he lifted her by her thighs, placing himself between them as she yelped delight. Her arms held tighter at his shoulders as he effortlessly carried her toward the bedroom, withdrawing her mouth from his momentarily to place her forehead against his. Her right hand traveled to the back of his head, petting through his hair.

They tumbled onto his bed, facing each other, on their sides. Sai's touch gently slid from the outside of her thigh over her hip, the slender curve to her chest, until he reached her left bicep. The journey had sent plentifully pleasant shivers down Krystal's spine. He gingerly pushed her arm until he could touch her hand.

Suddenly, he stopped kissing her, and brought that hand up, looking at the bare fingers. He did not have to say anything; Krystal sighed. "I'm sorry, Sai. . . ."

He used his cordial, fake smile. "It's alright. After a week since I proposed to you, though, if you aren't wearing the ring yet, I suppose I've been rejected."

She frowned. "If you're going to smile, use a real one. Smiles don't always make a line sweeter, no matter how many times you read it in a book. People want _reality,_ not a fabrication." Next, she let her eyes avert themselves in guilt. "And I'm not rejecting . . . or accepting, yet. I need time to think it over—_more_ time."

After her comment about emotion, Sai's expression had turned to one of mild irritation, as Krystal saw when she looked at him again. It was almost broody, the way he scowled to the side.

"Look . . . I'll take the time on my mission to think. I already know how everyone else feels, I know how you feel, and I do love you . . . but I need to see how I feel about marriage—with no one else trying to influence my thoughts. My first husband died . . .," tears began welling in her eyes, "and I . . . I don't know. . . ."

Sai's scowl had softened with contrition when he looked at her. If he could not completely understand her reluctance, he could fathom lamentation for death of someone who held importance in one's heart. Before she said anything else, he leaned over and held her firmly, but comfortably. They both closed their eyes.

**

* * *

**

The ANBU operative rubbed her eyes sleepily, suppressing the urge to yawn hugely as she drug her body to Konoha's prison. Skilled as she was, she walked with poise, despite the tiredness of being awakened when the Sun's rays had barely warmed the soils of Konoha.

She had combed her hair, but as she had not been very thorough, it seemed a little ragged. She was in her normal clothing, despite this being official business, as she felt it futile to hide her identity when the captive had already seen her face. Since he had also been scared enough to surrender to her, knowing she was a child, she did not feel it necessary to flaunt her status, either. She simply wore a Konoha headband around her neck.

The girl soon caught sight of her destination: a large, forbidding building that she knew to be Konoha's prison. It was on the far outskirts of Konoha, a long distance from the Village Center, on the other side of a water-filled ravine that ran through. She crossed the bridge to the prison and entered.

Shortly, she found two men standing outside of an interrogation room, both to whom she nodded respect. "Hokage-sama, Ibiki."

"Ao," both men nodded. The first one she had addressed, Sixth Hokage Uzumaki Naruto, was blonde-haired and blue-eyed, with a black Konoha headband over his forehead, under his spiky hair. He had a healthful shade of peach skin and three whisker-like tattoos on either cheek. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt from his throat to the baggy black capris that tucked into bandages half-way up the shin down into the black zori. An orange overcoat, short-sleeved and left open, had a fiery black trim and the kanji for fire on his back written in black.

The second man was Morino Ibiki, the most skilled man in torture and interrogation, particularly when he played the game of psychological warfare. Scars ran across his face, over his nose and near small black eyes. He wore a bandana-style hitaiate that covered his entire head. He stood tall, imposing, with a long black coat hanging on strong shoulders. It would be nice if he were not necessary, but suspects were not always willing to fork up their information. _"A ninja must know how to keep secrets, even when being tortured."_

"So . . . let's get a look at this guy's face, shall we?" Ao stretched, peeking through the small, square glass window of the door. Her captive sat on a wooden chair, slumped, with his masked face staring to the ground. Movement of his cuffed hands was the only thing to suggest consciousness.

Naruto grinned and nodded, possibly not exclaiming because he was a little drowsy. Ibiki turned the knob, and allowed Naruto, then Ao, to enter first prior to closing it behind himself. As the three filed into the small room, the man raised his mask and then put his shoulders to the back of the chair.

_Fear?_ Ao wondered. She followed the line of sight by his mask's eye sockets, seeing that they followed Ibiki. But then, he relaxed. More wonder. _Maybe he realizes the situation . . . Ibiki is well known._ She reached forward to him, Naruto flanking her left, and Ibiki flanking her right, and held the bottom of the mask. Anon, his emotion would be known.

"You've seen my face . . . now let's get a little looksie at yours," she whispered, and slid the cover from his face.

It was a high-horsed sneer that met them instead of the frustrated countenance Ao had been looking forward to. She was very unconcerned with that factor, as her eyes widened as largely as possible and the mask slid from her grip, clattering on the floor. She backed up.

It was clear now why his movements had seemed so familiar, why everything about him made bells ring symphonies in her head. Her back and palms met the wall. "Impossible. . . ."

Their eyes were the same shade, hers and the captive's, and their shape was similar, but not congruent as his were a little smaller and narrower. She fully recognized the long bangs falling on either side of his face, the color matching hers, and the spikes. His skin was pale. "You . . . y-y-you're supposed to be . . . Mom told me you . . . and Ootoji-sama told her you . . .!"

Naruto rubbed his eyes, making sure he was not hallucinating. They were big, as well. His expression was unbelieving. That visage, the one that faced all of them with a smirk he remembered all too well, had haunted his thoughts and dreams over six years of his absence. ". . . Sasuke . . . !"

He snorted. "Somewhere between memory and reminiscence, eh loser?"

**End of Chapter One**

Next Time on .:Violets are Blue:.!! Chapter Two: Back From the "Dead"

Surprisingly, Hatsumomo was very silent, presently, in his excitement. His smile was straining, and his tummy was fluttering. Perhaps it partly was Ao's doing, for her unplayful demeanor had made the procession through the home quite unnerving. The man he was about to meet was his idol, the Hokage's, best friend and had even trained on the same team as him. He had also trained for years away from the village to became an outstanding, skilled shinobi. He had been the sole Uchiha survivor (though what had made it so was not to Hatsumomo's knowledge) before he met Krystal and she gave birth to a boy and girl. And, in a glorious death, the last of crimson fluid was shed from his body just after he had tracked and killed a notorious S-ranked criminal of the infamous Akatsuki.

Only, now the part about dying was not true. In a heroic twist, he had arrived "back from the dead." Hatsumomo gulped as him and Ao stopped in front of a door. He looked up at her, and she stared back. Just on the other side of this door, was the man whom had lived.

"Ready?" she asked.

Hatsumomo nodded. "Mhm."

* * *

**Aki's Author Corner**

Hola!! Now, what'd I tell ya guys? The sequel has already arrived!!! -dances- :D Thanks for being patient. In writing this sequel, I rise to the challenge of exceeding .:Roses are Red:. and plan to make it a longer running story! Buahahahahaha!!!

Also, I want to hear from you guys, a bit more :( I love love love getting reviews, but .:Roses are Red:. only got about fifty-six. I don't wish to sound... for lack of a better term at the moment, "bratty," so instead of ransoming chapters like some authors do (which, by the way, never ultimately work in the end) I shall give rewards!

How might this award come about, you might ask? Weeeeeeeeeelllll.....

All you must do, is be the fiftieth reviewer! And once we reach that goal, it will then go on to the 100th, 200th, so on and so forth :D (If we get that far!)

Now, what shall be the prize for being the fiftieth reviewer? A one-shot, written by me! (Yes, I obtained this idea from Chibiruju88... :D) It can be any type of one-shot you wish, including any character pairing (within reason) though it does not have to be romantic. It can be angsty, family--anything. If you do not know what type of one-shot, I shall come up with something :) Once the request is inputted, I shall try with all my power to get it out as soon as possible!

The only rules I have... no lemons. Keep the character pairings within Naruto, unless there is a pairing within another anime you'd like, however it's have to be one I'm familiar with XD The one-shot can relate to any of my existing stories, including this one, and can even be an OcXOc pairing....

Yeah... so that's it! If you're stumped about what to write in the review, then here's what you can write! (I like 'em lengthy and constructive, but others will be accepted, of course, as well :D)

1) How did you like the chapter?

2) Why do you think Sasuke was away from home all od these years?

3)Did you read the original .:Roses are Red:. on Quizilla? (Just curious)

4) Anything else you'd like to say!

Whelp, leave your reviews, love to hear from ya

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**Thank you for reading!! God bless you!!**


	2. Back From the Dead

Recap from Prior Chapter: Their eyes were the same shade, hers and the captive's, and their shape was similar, but not congruent as his were a little smaller and narrower. She fully recognized the long bangs falling on either side of his face, the color matching hers, and the spikes. His skin was pale. "You . . . y-y-you're supposed to be . . . Mom told me you . . . and Ootoji-sama told her you . . .!"

Naruto rubbed his eyes, making sure he was not hallucinating. They were big, as well. His expression was unbelieving. That visage, the one that faced all of them with a smirk he remembered all too well, had haunted his thoughts and dreams over six years of his absence. ". . . Sasuke . . . !"

He snorted. "Somewhere between memory and reminiscence, eh loser?"

**Chapter Two: Back From the "Dead**"

Naruto chuckled. "You're calling _me_ a loser? Who was presumed dead all these years, and was brought in by his own daughter? Idiot." He was smirking an angry smile. It was obvious to an observer that he wanted to yell, burst out, and demand to know where Sasuke had been all these years, accuse him of many things. Pride, because of to whom he was speaking, made him cover a majority of that aggression.

"I let her take me in. I surrendered, but not because I'm a wimp, or a scaredy cat," Sasuke replied, the right corner of his lips curled. He was sitting comfortably with his manacled hands in his lap. "And you all assumed I was dead—"

"—It's not like you came back to prove us wrong—"

"—You didn't find my body—"

"—There was plenty of evidence—"

"—circumstantial—"

"—Your blood! Your sword! Your mask! The necklace!—"

Sasuke had another comeback, but while the argument between her uncle and father had been fuzzy to her ears at first, Ao completely stopped listening then. Her eyes went from their round state to a narrower setting. She clenched her jaw, and the open palms that had plastered against the cold wall curled and shook with rage. Her nostrils flared.

In the midst of Naruto and Sasuke's bickering, Ao walked forward, anger rising from the pits of her belly. It was a quick succession of steps as she stopped in front of her father, pulled her fist back, and rebounded it back to slam into his cheek. The man's face was knocked to the side, straining his neck joint, and his eyes were staring forward, wide.

Everything was still, including the air as everyone stood with bated breath. Blood that trickled from his mouth, down his chin, was the first movement, as Ao held her stance, fist extended not far from his face. As her eyes turned to meet his side-long glance, they sparkled, and she drew in a deep, shuddered breath.

Naruto and Ibiki, both of whose presence had been forgotten by her, stared.

The girl slowly shifted her body, first letting her fist swing down loosely to her side. Then, she straightened her legs, her back, her shoulders, and lifted her chin. The lump in her throat soon forestalled her breathing to where she had to draw air into her lungs through her mouth.

Her lower lip trembled, and she dug her two front teeth into it to stop. Then, she had to release it to enable easier breathing, and the tremors continued. So many questions buzzed through her mind anew, but the knot in her chest and stomach was tied too strong for her to articulate words.

Sasuke, once recovering from the initial shock, closed his mouth and stiffly turned his head forward. Light left his eyes as the guilt hit him, and they hardened. The tension created by the bridge of their aligned gazes would have to be cut with a serrated knife. Sasuke stood, towering over her.

From this angle, with the sparkling, tear-filled eyes, she looked like a child more than ever.

"The morning you went away . . .," Ao began with difficulty, "you made a promise. . . . No, you pinky swore. If you're really my father, then you would know why I hit you just now."

Sasuke replied solely with: "I came back. Alive."

Ao's voice was hard and tremulous. "Not soon enough." She dipped her head shamefully. Many years had been dedicated to appearing strong, holding a marble exterior so she would appear tough enough emotionally to stand next to senior shinobi of matching or even lesser physical strength, prove her maturity. Since she had dedicated herself to living that nature for half of her life, even crying in a situation like this, where to most emotion would be acceptable, it was not.

Realizing the somber gravity of the situation, Ibiki put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and silently tried leading him out of the room. The blonde stood his ground, shaking off Ibiki's hand and gave Sasuke one final scowl prior to leaving the small room by his own power.

When the doors slammed closed, Ao quickly went to the wall at her left, turning her back to Sasuke as her strained sobs began freeing themselves. She had her forehead and a raised fist against the wall. She squeaked in her breaths, finding subtlety to be an impossible feat. The hot tears flooding her cheeks were not seen, but their presence was inferred from her other hand reaching up to wipe them away.

Sasuke's gaze had followed her to where she leaned, narrowed sadly. Then, they averted to the side awkwardly as he struggled to remember what had been done when Ao would cry many years ago. It seemed Krystal was normally candidate for consoling the young girl, for when he tried, he would somehow make it worse. Krystal had described his type of consolation as "bittersweet;" babies needed "simply sweet."

Yet, there had been one instance, very early on, in which Krystal had not been home, and Ao's cries filled the entire Uchiha Estate. Only God knew what had made her so upset, as her frantic father ruled out the basics: full diaper, hunger, etc. In the end, he had taken her from her crib, cradled her in one strong arm, and tried something very foreign to him. He did not know where he had heard the words before, but as he sang them, a little awkwardly and probably off-key, they seemed to appease the baby girl. "Come stop your crying it will be all right. Just take me hand . . . hold it tight. I will protect you, from all around you . . . I will be here, don't you cry. . . ."

He had then stayed with her for a bit longer, his first time ever completely alone with her, watching as her tiny hands wrapped around his finger, and he truly felt bonded with his daughter for the first time. "For one so small, you seem so strong. My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us, can't be broken. I will be here, don't you cry. . . ."

There had been maybe one or two other instances, when she was a little older, in which he had sung that to her. It currently made Sasuke smile a little, while he could still hear his daughter's cries. He breathed in, and sang just loud enough to carry over noise in the room, but not outside.

"Come stop your crying, it will be all right . . . just take my hand, hold it tight." He was a little more hesitant this time, as he tried recollecting the words, and Ao softened. "I will protect you from, all around you . . . I will be here, don't you cry—"

"That's a load of crap!" Ao yelled, slamming the wall; she left an indentation. "The problem _is_ that you _weren't_ here!" With that fist still planted there, she twisted to glare at him, eyes still pooling with the occasional leak. "I'm not six years old, anymore, that won't work!" she spat bitterly. "Six birthdays, passing the Chuunin Exams, being promoted to jonin, becoming ANBU—all that, for me, you missed. And you've missed Hatsumomo's entire _life_ so far!"

Sasuke frowned. "Hatsumomo?"

She gritted her teeth and seemed to sneer. "My brother. _Your _son. I forgot that Mom didn't know she was pregnant 'til after you left. You've missed the very foundations of his life."

The whites of his eyes surrounded black irises entirely. Ao sniveled and let her fist slide down, using it afterwards to wipe her eyes. They were red and swollen, but no longer pooling over. She was scowling, partly turned his way. "If you were alive all these years . . . why didn't you come back sooner?"

He stared at her squarely. "I forgot." Ao appeared ready to shout at him, but he cut in. "It's called 'amnesia.' On that mission, I almost did die. I was hurt very badly. I removed myself from the scene with much difficulty. I eventually lost consciousness and was found by a Grass ninja and his girlfriend."

He paused, checking Ao. While her eyes still pierced him, she had closed her mouth, and she stood with a more relaxed stance. Her hands were no longer fists, but hung at her sides, open. "When I woke up, I didn't remember my name, my family, my home; the only things I knew were my jutsu, but not how I learned them. . . . It took me awhile to remember my Kekkai Genkai. Only a few months ago did faces begin coming back to me, and even more recently, names. Then, it came in one swell rush."

To that, Ao did not know how to respond. She looked away from him with what looked like an expression of mild guilt. Next, she rubbed the nape of her neck, rolled her eyes to the ceiling, and sighed. Her eyes slid to the corner, glancing at him.

"I won't apologize," she said.

Sasuke's lips curled to the right, minutely. "I won't, either."

"Good. Because I wasn't going to accept one." Her eyes looked at the floor, hiding beneath her lashes. "You have a lot to catch up on . . .," she trailed off, gestating for a title, ". . . Sasuke."

She may as well have punched him in the gut. He frowned and scowled at her. She truly was her mother's daughter, reluctance and all. The cold attempts at acting stoic, he supposed, was a glimmer of himself, as well. "Where's your mother? And Hatsumomo?"

"There's a three month wait on the wifey-poo," the girl replied mockingly, "she's on her way to Britain, and Hatsumomo. . . ." She paused. "I think you should talk to Yuut-oji and Ann-baa, first. Mom left them in charge."

Sasuke's scowl deepened. Britain; where the British Playboy resides. "Mission?"

"Yeah. But she's been waiting six years for you. You can wait three months."

_She's waited more than that,_ he thought, but kept it to himself.

**

* * *

**

Yuuta paced the room, arms clasped behind him at the small of his back, with a dark scowl upon his face. An acherontic aura surrounded and followed him as he lifted his hands and mussed his hair with almost feral snarls. One, no matter how skilled, would be wary.

Annora and Sasuke were seated at the table, across from each other, following Yuuta's steps with their eyes. Sasuke was apprehensive, but did not show more than a hardened eye. Annora had her arm resting on the table, tapping the pads of her fingers on it and making little noise. She was watching Yuuta, steadily.

Yuuta stopped. "I cannot believe it. Cannot—WILL not believe or accept that answer. Amnesia? If it were reversible, no doubt it wouldn't've taken six years!" he huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He put his hands on his hips, pulling a part of the black dress shirt taught. His eyes found Sasuke. "You—I don't even know what to say!"

Annora stood from the chair, walked over to her husband, and gingerly rubbed his back, placing the other hand on his arm. "Relax, Yuuta, you aren't schooled in medicine, so what would you know about amnesia? I think you should believe him, forgive him. . . . What could he do if he didn't **know** anything?" she crooned, the hand on his arm moving up to his hair. She gently smoothed down a few strays. He pushed her aside with a gentle hand pressed against her belly.

"He hurt my daughter. She **FELL APART** after she was told he died." Yuuta had been speaking to Annora, but glared with near-red eyes and Sasuke. "The day I walked her down the aisle and gave her away to you . . . I'd trusted that you would PROTECT her. I trusted that you loved her, and would be there—"

Sasuke scoffed. "I didn't wait the twelve years you did to come back into her life!" Yuuta's mouth clamped shut, his eyes widened, and his nostrils flared. "You left Krystal when she was four, and she was the one to come to you when she was sixteen! I had no memory; you did. You knew whom you were leaving behind."

The older man slammed his palms on the table. "That's different!"

"Do you think it hurt her any less?"

He clenched his jaw.

Annora planted her fist on her hip and narrowed her eyes, pursing her lips. Exasperated, she threw her arms up and let them fall to slap against her thighs. "_Listen_ to the both of you!" She turned on Yuuta. "First off, Yuuta—Honey, I love ya—but you're acting like a kid. I understand that you're angry, but as an adult you ought to understand he had amnesia, and that he should be cut a little slack."

She turned to Sasuke, who had a smirk beforehand. "Second, Krystal forgave Yuuta already, so you shouldn't throw it back in his face! Who's to say she won't do the same for you?" Allowing her words to marinate, she looked from one to the other; Yuuta pouted in a contrite way whereas Sasuke's scowl was to the side. "Remember . . . you gave Krystal away to him. . . . If not blood-related, we are a family. Yuuta, this is our son-in-law; Sasuke, we are one set of your in-laws.

"And Momo . . . he ought to know his father—even if the circumstances are a little strange. We just need to explain it to him." She sat at the table again and began speaking in a partial rhetorical tone. "Six year olds are simple little things, after all, so long as they don't keep asking 'Why?'—I don't think he does that—but even so, the truth ought to suffice . . . just not tell about Itachi, or any of those details. Maybe not even use his last name."

Neither man said anything, immediately. Sasuke still scowled. Yuuta lifted his hands from the table and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with his left while the other stayed at his side. ". . . fine. You're right," he admitted. "After Momo-chan comes home from the Academy . . . we'll introduce them."

**

* * *

**

Ao sighed inwardly and stuck her hands in her pockets, glancing at her younger brother as he attempted to stay in-step with her slightly longer strides. She had been sent by Yuuta and Annora to pick him up from the Academy, which was why a maroon messenger bag was slung over his shoulder. It was a job she did not want, for she was also the one who had to explain Sasuke to him before arriving home.

She did not know how to tell him, which made her look away to the dirt, somberly. To begin, she used his preferred nickname, "Hatsu-kun . . .," but it was eclipsed by a louder exclamation of the same thing, minus the honorific.

Hatsumomo turned. "Pinku!"

Ao turned, as well. Pinku was sprinting up to them, and was followed by a middle-aged woman, whom from resemblance, was assumed to be Pinku's mother. The long, waist-length pink hair was unmistakable.

When she arrived behind him, her eyes seemed to be a lifeless grey, and Ao could swear she saw a touch of yellow in the whites. _A trick of the light?_ she guessed. _She looks so . . . unhealthy. _She was dressed in a navy blue kimono with the sleeves held up with ties at her elbows. White plant-like designs were decorating her kimono, and she held a basket of fish at her hip (that could be held accountable for the smell, Ao supposed, but it seemed more like _death_ to her, like the morgue of a hospital.)

The woman wore a smile; Ao was reminded, chillingly, of a doll. "Pinku, don't run off like that! You're _grounded,_ remember?" chastised the woman.

"Sorry, Mommy," he replied. Then, he looked at Ao and seemed to blush. "Hello, Ao-chan."

Ao ignored Pinku, grabbed Hatsumomo's hood, and pulled him back a little; the boy objected. "Sorry, but part of Hatsu's punishment is that he cannot play with friends for the next six days. I am afraid we cannot visit." Oh how thankful she was for that detail. Dollface was beginning to make her skin crawl.

"Yes, I understand," replied the woman. "Pinku's on restriction, as well." She took her free hand and pulled Pinku back by his collar; he also protested. "We will not see you soon, then. Say your goodbyes, Pinku."

Pouting, Pinku said, "Bye," to Hatsumomo and then to Ao, bowed his head and said, "Until next time, Milady."

Ao rolled her eyes as Pinku's mom dragged him away and Hatsumomo offered his own valediction. They continued toward home, and the senior released the junior. The blonde was brooding, and said, "Why d'you gotta do that?"

"Because you're grounded. What kind of sister would I be if I didn't make you respect your discipline?" she retorted. "But . . . there's another reason why we needed to be on our way." Pause. "At home . . . there's someone for you to meet."

Forgetting the previous minutes already, Hatsumomo looked up at her sister. "Who?"

She hesitated a moment, but next decided that there was no easy way to say it but bluntly. "Our dad."

"But . . . Mommy said he died . . .," he questioned, confused, ". . . didn't she?"

She nodded. "We all thought he was, but since he's here, it must not've been true."

He was silent, staring ahead as he absorbed the news. A large, knuckle headed grin came to his face. "Believe it . . . I gets to meet my daddy!" exclaimed he. His grin beamed. Pictures were all he had seen of the man that had fathered him, and although there was an uncanny similarity between him and Sai, the stories told by his mother had created a respect for the man.

Hatsumomo looked up at his sister. "That means Mommy won't have'ta go out with Sai, right?" Ao shrugged. "What's Daddy like?"

The girl looked at him blankly. She wanted to tell the boy that their father was an unwitting traitor that had left their family and village behind, devastated their mother, and had inflicted a paining emotional wound upon her, as well, but her grandmother had told her to say nothing of the sort. "You'll see soon."

He giggled, closing his eyes.

Soon, they reached the Uchiha Estate. Since Ao now had an almost clear idea as to how the meeting of Sasuke and Hatsumomo would commence, she was no longer in apprehension; in fact, she had not let herself care very much. Her part was over, now.

Surprisingly, Hatsumomo was very silent, presently, in his excitement. His smile was straining, and his tummy was fluttering. Perhaps it partly was Ao's doing, for her unplayful demeanor had made the procession through the home quite unnerving. The man he was about to meet was his idol, the Hokage's, best friend and had even trained on the same team as him. He had also trained for years away from the village to became an outstanding, skilled shinobi. He had been the sole Uchiha survivor (though what had made it so was not to Hatsumomo's knowledge) before he met Krystal and she gave birth to a boy and girl. And, in a glorious death, the last of crimson fluid was shed from his body just after he had tracked and killed a notorious S-ranked criminal of the infamous Akatsuki.

Only, now the part about dying was not true. In a heroic twist, he had arrived "back from the dead." Hatsumomo gulped as him and Ao stopped in front of a door. He looked up at her, and she stared back. Just on the other side of this door, was the man whom had lived.

"Ready?" she asked.

Hatsumomo nodded. "Mhm."

Ao slid open the door, and when Hatsumomo did not immediately enter, ushered him in before herself. The three big adults turned their attention to the little boy. He felt diminished by the weight of tension to be cut in the room, but did not realize that he was the serrated edge. The door closing behind was loud to his ears. Steadily, he walked with baby steps a little further.

On the left of the table, Annora said, "Don't be scared, Momo-chan. He's your daddy. Come meet him."

He was still a little hesitant, but his feet proceeded in a quicker succession toward Sasuke, who sat on the right side of the table. The man had turned in his chair to face the boy. The way he was watching him was a discouragement; a look of curiosity and confusion. One eyebrow was slightly quirked.

Hatsumomo stopped about a foot away from his father, wearing an innocent face with large, nervous eyes. He was meek, mousy. Sasuke did not move, remaining stoic, regardless. "Why are you blonde?"

The poor boy was shaking, and jumped a little when asked that. "Erm . . . I was pranking someone with bleach, 'cause I wanted to turn this kid to have yellow hair . . . but I misseded an' mine turned yellow." He smiled. "Mommy wanted to make it brown again, but I tolded her I wanted to be like Ootoji-sama, and she still said no, an' then I cried, and then—and then she fin'lly let me keept my hair yellow!"

Sasuke smirked. For a moment, he had thought this kid was a carbon-copy of _Naruto_—and from what Yuuta and Annora had told him of his demeanor and personality, it would have seemed so. He imagined that it came from that Naruto was probably more of a father than an Uncle to Ao and Hatsumomo, these passed years. The Fox carrier and Krystal had always been close.

"Oh. For a second, I thought you might've looked more like a child of Naruto and Hinata's," he said, and his son shifted his stare to the left. Sasuke hummed a short note of amusement and leaned forward, placing his hand on top of his son's head. Hatsumomo met his eyes. _Byakugan . . . he doesn't look like he has an ounce of Uchiha blood in him._

As an Uchiha with no sharingan, Hatsumomo would not be a suitable heir to the clan.

Him and Krystal—if she forgave him, that is—just may get to try again.

It would not diminish interest in this son, however. He would still teach him certain Uchiha techniques. He would still put him through rites of passage—learning the Great Fireball Jutsu, for example—reasonably, like he and his brother had when he was small. The byakugan, would be taken care of by the Hyuuga side.

"Uchiha Hatsumomo . . . my first son," said the man quietly. "Don't I get a hug?"

Hatsumomo smiled and tackled him. Sasuke returned the embrace, holding firmly. He was a little disappointed in the lack of strength returned; it was certainly not as strong as the last one he had received from his daughter. He looked up at Ao, who leaned against the wall, near the door, arms crossed. This one, which he held, was not another prodigy.

**

* * *

**

The glow of a desk lamp illuminated the mission reports, censuses, and other papers on the Hokage's desk as he sat behind it reading one of the reports. The lamp barely added light to the dark shadow of his eyes as he stayed perfectly still, staring at the page for moments after he finished reading.

On the opposite side, a kunoichi patiently stood. She had very light green eyes, though they were at present not their lightest, and had grown her hair, colored of cherry blossom petals, a little passed her shoulders. Separated from the back by a red Konoha headband, her bangs divided over a wide, alabaster forehead and a face including rosy pink lips. Her clothes consisted of a red, short-sleeved turtleneck with a white O on either sleeve and a zipper down the front, and a white skirt with slits down the side, making it seem more like an apron. Blue shorts underneath covered her thighs and the black zori she wore covered her shins.

Haruno Sakura; she was a jonin-level medical ninja. At this very moment, Naruto could not imagine the hurt she was feeling; it was why he had stalled by appearing to still be reading.

"I know you're done," Sakura said, "you've been staring at the same spot for the past minute and a half."

Naruto cringed and put the paper down. Awkwardly, he asked, "Are you okay?"

She smiled weakly. "I did all that I could. It simply wasn't enough." **I just lost one of my students !—How do you think I feel, ya dolt?** "I just never thought I'd bury one of my students. I promised to protect them with my life."

He nodded. "Don't beat yourself up about it, Sakura-chan. Rena died in honor."

"But I should have been able to save her!" She clenched her fists and stole to the side. "What kind of honor can it be if she died, bleeding out, because her teacher failed in stopping the enemy and even afterwards couldn't close the wound?" Her face turned red. "What kind of medical ninja am I? One of the times it really counted, I couldn't summon the power!"

Sakura brought up her arm, digging it into her eyes, biting her painted lip. Lowering her voice, she said, "I wonder if this is how Kakashi-sensei felt when . . . Sasuke left?" _So incapable. . . ._

Naruto's sympathy was written all over his face, and even with the news her had to give, he could not bring himself to smile or exclaim. "Sakura-chan . . . Sasuke's back."

He saw her lips twist in confusion. Slowly, she lowered her arm. "What are you talking about? ANBU reported his death."

"They never had a body. Ao brought him into custody yesterday, as a mysterious Grass ninja, and we unmasked him today." He grinned, Sakura's blank expression making it unsure. "That's good news, isn't it?"

She nodded dumbly. "Can . . . can I see him? Is he . . .?"

"He's at home."

She looked down. "I see. I'll visit him later, then." She smiled, microscopically.

"A new chuunin for your squad'll be found soon."

Her smile faltered for a moment. "I know. Good night, Naruto-kun."

"Night, Sakura-chan."

**End of Chapter Two**

Next Time on .:Violets are Blue:.!! Chapter Three: New Conditions!!

"What rank? You're . . . replacing Rena, right?" A brief shadow had darkened his eyes when he hesitated to say her name. They soon turned normal. "Ought to know what rank my new teammate's reached. Still genin? Fresh from the Academy?"

She glared. "As a matter of fact, I finished being a genin two years after I graduated the Academy just before my SEVENTH BIRTHDAY. I skipped being a jonin and went straight onto ANBU—which I've been a part of for the past few years. Don't. You _dare. _Underestimate me."

His eyes were wide at her fierce tone, but then raised a condescending brow. "If you're so amazing then how come you're here? Shouldn't you be striving for ANBU captain or something?"

Ao looked away and said nothing. The reason was one that ticked her off. After all the prisoners, suspects, and threats to the Village she had personally shackled and taken care of, after following Hokage's orders like a good little shinobi, she had been _demoted_ all the way down the ladder to a chuunin, a journeyman ninja, same level as her mom.

* * *

**Aki's Author Corner**

G'day, mates! I meant to get this out on Friday, but there were some . . . technical difficulties, same for Monday, and I've been a little uninspired. End of the school year and all . . . and I started playing Kingdom Hearts II again XD But now I'm getting ideas for a new story! One of those that'll either take forever to come to fruition or never will! Yay!

So, about reviews... no, I'm not going to go all "Why aren't you leaving any?!!?!?! Wa wa wa, cry cry cry!" but I am going to ask that when you leave them, leave an e-mail link or something, so I may respond. It's easier that way since I guess y ou can say I'm a little obsessice compulsive about replying to someone when I have something to say XD That's why it'll go from something as short as a "thank you" to something like five paragraphs long XD Hehe. I supposed the alternative is for me to simply answer within the stories, but that'd be only if you want my responses to be "pub-li-cuh!" (XD Ron White!)

Well . . . that's all I have to say. I'll attempt in releasing chapter three, soon, however like I said, I am uninspired at the moment. We shall see how it goes :) Ja ne!

**Responses**

Rory: Thank you! That's actually not a bad idea, but the problem with that theory, I think, is that . . . huh. Under the right circumstances, that would be a flawless theory, and add more onto it, it could be quite riveting. . . . Hmmmm. . . . XD Anyway, that's coo', and you'll just have to wait for the SasukeXKrystalXSai drama -grins evilly-

(Actually, it's not that people aren't reading---I have plenty of readers. They're just too lazy to review! XD And I had maybe . . . three people that reviewed nearly every chapter, you don't have to do so unless you wish :D)

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**Thank you for reading!! God bless you!**


	3. New Conditions

Recap from the Prior Chapter: "A new chuunin for your squad'll be found soon."

Her smile faltered for a moment. "I know. Good night, Naruto-kun."

"Night, Sakura-chan."

**Chapter Three: New Conditions**

Krystal observed herself in the mirror, swallowing. It had been a very, very long time since she had worn a gown of this elegance, though she had been told this was customary for formal dinners in England. Somewhat of a culture-shock, to be wearing such a deep blue and this puffed skirt—a minimal puff, not something too grand of a circumference. The bodice squared over her breasts and was laced the same blue, and the gossamer sleeves that split on the outside of the arm brushed her elbows. She had her hair curled a bit more than normal and worn down; a blue ribbon choker was around her neck.

She turned away from the refined mirror on the dresser and eyed the rest of the room. It was rich in royal blues, violets, and creams; the canopy bed was queen-sized and very comfortable. When she had arrived, it was the first thing she had dove into. Her luggage now rested there, along with the hanger this dress had come on, and a note.

For the duration of her mission in Britain, she would be sleeping in this room, in this palace, like a princess. The idea both flattered and discomforted her. Everything was so different, an exotically more dignified fashion than even the palace of the Daimyo—uninsultingly to him, that is.

And the dress, whose skirt her bare hands felt again, must have been of an incomputable cost. It had hung inside a cream, oak wardrobe for her to find and wear to the banquet welcoming her. Surely, she thought, it was unnecessary, but it would also be terribly rude of her to refuse.

She walked over to the bed, picking up the note again. It read:

_This one's Dearest Krystal,_

_This one wants to thank you so very much for being here. Not only are you This one's best friend, you also happen to be the only one eligible enough, in speech and in trust, to take my place. This was not added into your assignment, but This one asks that you watch over Lord Maboroshi in This one's absence. This one begs that you make sure he stays out of trouble. _

_Sorry that This one is not able to welcome you to your new position. The mission was of the utmost importance, taking This one away quickly. This one hopes you and the family are well; tell the kids This one loves and misses them. This one misses you too. This one hopes your heart will heal from those wounds so deeply inflicted. _

_With All the Love In The World For A Sister,_

_Hayden Isabella Bos_

Breathing as deeply as the dress would allow, she brought up her right hand, over her chest. Her fingers gently brushed the gold chains of two necklaces, until she found the tiny rose pendants. One was red, the other was black. They were simple, and no doubt the choker would be enough of an accessory, but she was indeed reluctant to leave them behind.

"You look even more beautiful in it than I had imagined," a voice complimented at the door. "The Japanese Beauty with an English Name."

Krystal turned to the man and smiled, setting the note back onto the bed. "Maboroshi-sama . . . you look quite dashing yourself. If this dress would allow, my every breath would be a sigh," she teased, mimicking his always piquant tongue.

He was in fact striking, his shamrock eyes helping along a gentlemanly smile of charm on a fair-skinned face free of blemishes and discoloration. His golden brown hair was neatly displayed. He wore a red coat and black slacks. The lining of his collar and cuffs was two gold stripes on either side of a black one, like his belt, which was held closed with a gold belt buckle. Two deep purple ropes adorned the jacket. The pink bud in Krystal's heart was lightly aflutter.

He flashed white teeth. "Thank you. How do you like your lodgings?"

She looked around the room again. "It's awesome. I'm in shock, actually. I knew you were a Lord's son—oh, _Lord,_ now—but still . . . on the road to Suna, you freely acted kinda commonly. It's one thing to know, another to see."

He chuckled and offered his arm. When he spoke, his words were in English. "Come, love, let us not keep them waiting." A confused look on her face made him laugh, and he stepped closer, linking arms with her. "You will be speaking English a lot, these next three months, I thought I might aide you in conditioning yourself."_  
_

She blushed embarrassment and nodded. As they proceeded from the room, she also tried the language; it was not a necessity to speak it where she lived, so she could have been a little rusty. "It's a good thing Dad had such a fascination with it, or else I'd be lost." She frowned. Her words had not come out as clear and concise as Maboroshi's, due to her accent.

Maboroshi laughed again. "Practice, love, practice."

**

* * *

**

Ao chucked a rock with great force at the river's surface, eyeing with aversion as the stone skimmed across, skipping once, then twice, the force of the current slanting the trail diagonally before landing on the other side after a third bounce. She sat on a boulder herself, with one leg folded so the knee was at her chin and her left hand searched through debris for another suitable, flat-bottomed stone to toss. Sifting through, she soon had to look where her hand touched, and it was found.

Something had been satisfying about watching a rock, which she threw with precision, skip across the surface the exact amount of times she wanted and to where. The minor detail that she had to conform to the current in order to make the latter true, that it was not completely in her control, began to aggravate her, however. Like her situation, which was completely ripped from her hands.

Scowling, her eyes wandered, first landing on a teenage boy sitting cross-legged on the patch of grass leading into the forest on the other side of boulders and rocks in diverse sizes. He was a light-skinned, dark brunette with grass green eyes and a sucker stuck in his smile. The thick mop on his head flipped a little on the side. He wore a white button-up with three undone, so some of his chest was exposed. A black tie was loose, tied at about where the first fastened button was. The baggy shorts he wore were an olive green, coming to his knees. His Konoha hitaiate was around his right arm and a fishnet armband adorned his left forearm. The zori he wore were black.

Shouta Yasuo, chuunin, fourteen, perhaps fifteen, years of age. Skills currently unknown, but seems to favor candy. Surprisingly fit. Name meaning "Big Calm One."

She turned her head up, looking at the high ledge of a grey rock, massive as a small mountain or rocky hill, where another boy sat brooding. He was much darker than the other boy, with light-brown skin—tanned, just about—and jet black hair fell over his eyes. They were pale, hazed over; he was blind. He wore a chuunin vest over a long-sleeved black shirt with a tiny, red-swirled cloud on either arm. His capris were also black, as were his zori. He had one leg drawn up, and the other was straight as the bottom half of the lower leg hung over the edge.

Oto Baureto, also chuunin, same age as Shouta. Skills unknown, but had no aids to his blindness, it seemed. Name meaning "Sound Violet."

A miracle that he had made it to where he was without walking off the edge. She had remembered seeing him find that spot; there had been absolutely no hesitation in his step, as if he had no doubts as to how just how long that ledge was, notwithstanding his steps had been a smidgen slow, but they were more relaxed than unsure. It was quite fascinating to her; how could a blind boy be a successful ninja?

She tried not to dwell on it too long as she brought her gaze back down, watching the water sweep by. What more annoyed her was that she even had to care. She had been ANBU, and had not the necessity to concern herself with lower-level ninja. Moreover, with teams taught by jonin, or graduates of years following her.

A rock fell into her view, skipping once before it sank and was carried by the current. Then, another came that plunged without a bounce. Curious, she turned her head, only to have a stone hit her right between the eyes. Blood dawdled down the side of her nose, onto her cheek, as she glared at Shouta.

"Oh, crap! Sorry, I guess I'm not as good an aim as you with these; different than shurikon," he apologized, stepping over the rocks toward her. He spoke around the sucker, which made his speech have a slight lisp, but it was understandable.

Ao wiped the blood on her sleeve. "You're a chuunin? I had a better aim my first day at the Academy!" She held her arm over the wound whilst reaching into her kunai pouch. "It doesn't take a Weapons Specialist like Tenten-sensei to throw a rock!"

He smiled. "Well, if you can make such snide comments, you can't be hurt that badly. Actually, my feelings just might be hurt a bit." Pitifully, his lower lip had raised in a puppy-dog pout that she saw when he had rounded the boulder to stand in front of her.

Ao rolled her eyes and found a large, adhesive bandage in her pouch. Presumptuously, Shouta took it from her hands and opened the packaging. His left hand pushed up her hair and he licked his thumb, wiping it over the wound to clear some of the blood. He felt her cringe, and her brow furrowed angrily, and he quickly applied the bandage. Her hair, when it fell back into place, mostly hid its presence, and Shouta stepped back with his hands raised.

She looked at him in contempt, but simply shook her head, and he lowered his hands.

"So what are you?"

"What?"

"What rank? You're . . . replacing Rena, right?" A brief shadow had darkened his eyes when he hesitated to say her name. They soon turned normal. "Ought to know what rank my new teammate's reached. Still genin? Fresh from the Academy?"

She glared. "As a matter of fact, I finished being a genin two years after I graduated the Academy just before my SEVENTH BIRTHDAY. I skipped being a jonin and went straight onto ANBU—which I've been a part of for the past few years. Don't. You _dare. _Underestimate me."

His eyes were wide at her fierce tone, but then raised a condescending brow. "If you're so amazing then how come you're here? Shouldn't you be striving for ANBU captain or something?"

Ao looked away and said nothing. The reason was one that ticked her off. After all the prisoners, suspects, and threats to the Village she had personally shackled and taken care of, after following Hokage's orders like a good little shinobi, she had been _demoted_ all the way down the ladder to a chuunin, a journeyman ninja, same level as her mom.

Her blood boiled. The Hokage's reasoning behind it had not seemed the least bit credible to her. Since when had her age dictated how strong she was? That her father was back, it meant she would be put on easier missions, less _dangerous_ ones, now? Danger? HA! Perhaps it was some desire to make sure her, Hatsumomo, Sasuke and Krystal could all be together, one time, one happy family. He was underestimating her abilities.

There was some clause, too, about "teamwork." Where had _that _come from? Apparently, he felt she lacked the affinity of working well with others—particularly those in their adult years. Notwithstanding, acting solo had always worked well for her. _But __**no,**_ she through bitterly, _don't let the little girl work alone, she can't protect herself. She needs a __**team.**_

She was broken from her reverie when Shouta's hand swept across her view. His face was level with her and when he realized he had caught her attention, that hand placed itself on his knee. The other hand was against the other knee, but also held his sucker. He had a nice, friendly smile.

"Well . . . guess that's a touchy subject. You're a lot angrier than Rena . . . but if you were ANBU, you must be stronger." It was a rhetorical statement as he withdrew. He sighed. "Both you and Oto're be angsty, I can see it now." He straightened himself and put his hands on his hips, sticking his lolly into his mouth. "I've got my work cut out for me."

Their teacher soon entered the scene, a bright smile on her pink, glossed lips. Sakura rested her weight on her left leg and placed her hand on her hip. "Morning, Team Seven. Sorry I'm tardy. Front and center." She lifted her head and yelled, "That means you, too, Bau-kun! Get down here!"

Ao slid down from her rock with mild laughter. _Bau-kun?_

She and Shouta were the first to assemble, being the closest. The girl was mildly annoyed that even though he was slightly slouched in a relaxed position with his hands in his pockets, she only came up an inch or two below his shoulder. As she realized he was tall even compared to Sakura, who came to his chin-level, she was less disheartened, but it was not a great consolation. She was still short.

Not that it was new.

Oto soon joined them, stopping a few feet away in hesitation. His jaw tightened as he walked onto the far side of Shouta, away from Ao. It made the girl wonder.

He was a smidgen shorter than Shouta, so Ao would come to his shoulder. Normally, she did not feel this small. Perhaps these boys had werewolf blood in them, or they simply had hit their growth spurts early; then, it could actually be her current ranking. It had been so long since she was not recognized as the strongest in her household.

"How long are you going to insist on shouting?" Oto said in a deep, melodic voice. It was slightly low for conversation. "I'd heard you fine, telling them. And stop calling me 'Bau-kun.' It's 'Oto.'"

"Oh yeah, I forgot." **Yeah, yeah. Next thing you'll tell me I'm "annoying."**

She heard him mutter "annoying" and frowned. **You're annoying!**

"Anyway, Oto, Shouta, as you can see we have a new member of our team," she continued, vein still pulsing, but trying a smile. "First, I want you guys to introduce yourselves like you did when this team was first formed, show her how it's done. . . . After that, I've got an exercise for you guys."

The boys nodded. Shouta turned to her, first. "Name's Shouta Yasuo. I like a lotta things—candy especially—and I don't like vegetables." He shivered to accent his point. "My hobbies are . . . gambling and trying to figure out how many licks it takes to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop!—so far, I'm at three." He grinned sheepishly. "And my dream—," that smile grew resolute, "—is to become as strong as a Legendary Sannin!"

Ao snorted and cracked a smile. _Why should I've expected different?_ She did not catch it when he stuck his tongue out at her, taking her response to be patronizing.

"My name is Oto Baureto," said the other boy. To herself, Ao admitted that she liked his sound. She found it very soothing, and found herself listening more to it than his actual words. "I hate a lot of things, including talking about myself. That is all I will say."

When she realized he was finished and Shouta and Sakura's eyes were on her, Ao began. "My name's Uchiha Ao. I like bringing in criminals, and training. I hate being underestimated or treated as incompetent. My dream. . . ." She hesitated and said with serious eyes and tone, "I have the ambition to become more than an underestimated prodigy. I will become stronger than any Sannin, Hokage, Kazekage, Tsuchikage—you name it—preceding me, so I can protect everyone I care about."

"Alright, enough. You all know me, so I won't bother introducing myself," Sakura said after a moment of silence. Everyone's attention turned toward her. "It's time I tell ya what you're doing today.

"You may recall from your genin days chasing after missing pets—D-rank missions—or even strays that steal from markets, restaurants, and shops. Today, you three will be doing that: attempting to capture animals in this area. You'll be able to tell which is available for capture because they will have a bell on them. It can be any type of animal, and I won't tell you how many there are. There could be one or many. And from that animal, you must obtain the bell they are wearing.

"Now, the consequence for failing this exercise . . . is being dropped down to genin again." The jaws of all three students clenched. "Needless to say, even if one of you failed, all three of you would end up enduring the Exams at the failure's expense. Those who pass . . . will be promoted to jonin." She saw a new resolution in their eyes.

The kunoichi smiled. "Oh, and don't hurt the animals. The . . . owners won't be happy. Any questions?" They all responded negatively. She took a timer from her pouch and looked at it. "Alright, you have about an hour, so get moving!"

The three of them darted into different directions. Sakura sighed and set the clock on a flat rock, sitting next to it. "Not even making a plan, no conversation with one another. They've already failed," she muttered and took out a small book. It was a medical text, and she studied it incessantly, leaning forward with her elbows rested on her thighs and her chin propped up on her right fist. _I'll check on 'em in a half-hour._

**

* * *

**

Ao's spirits lifted her as she jumped from one branch to another of the forest. This assignment would be as easy as tossing a few shurikon! Capturing animals in deliberation, versus two chaste chuunin? She wanted to laugh, despite herself. By the end of the day, Uchiha Ao would be a jonin!

Still not quite as fortunate as becoming ANBU again, but she would work her way.

It was nearly too easy.

Ao stopped and frowned her suspicion, going over the description of the task set for her again. There must have been some sort of trick, for as she calculated the chances of success, depending on the number of animals released, that success rate would be high. Too high, for a jonin test. This in fact had a higher rate of success than the bells test for genin; this time, challenging a jonin teacher to obtain the object of promotion was not a risk.

In order to double check that assumption, she began retracing her path, intending to see if her teacher had stayed in the previous area and kept her footfalls quiet, in case an animal neared. Moreover, to keep her ears open for the sound of bells.

And it was a good thing she had. Suddenly, she halted on a bough. The sound of a bell that was very, _very_ close by rang again, calling her attention. She looked around in different directions, as the target should have been visible, judging by the loudness of the sound.

It was still loud and clear, should have been quite near, and it was working on Ao's last nerve that she could not obtain a visual of it. Then, she stopped whipping her head around and closed her eyes. It was probably a very loud bell, and sounded closer than it was. She listened, depicting the direction of the sound that was quickly deteriorating.

Before the sound would dwindle much more, she darted to her left in hot pursuit. It only seemed to grow fainter, so she picked up the pace. She cursed when it seemed to almost be gone, and added pressure when she jumped from a certain branch, for the next one was a distance away. Then, it running madly with a loud "whoopie," she crossed paths with a yellow blur, too small for a human and quite large for a woodland animal. The bell sound disappeared completely, and then started again, once the blur was out of sight. Ao had tracked it with her eyes.

She was still mid-leap, looking over her shoulder to where the animal departed, when she crashed into a large, inconveniently placed tree. This shameful display was made even more so with outside laughter.

"Hey, George of the Jungle, watch out for that tree," teased Shouta. She could depict it was him from the voice, but did not see his face until she peeled her cheek from the bark and turned her head. Her foot found a branch and she rubbed her neck, glaring at him.

"I can't believe you just made that reference," she said; her face was flushing.

He shrugged. "I was inspired."

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever, I've got animals to catch, I don't have time for this," and darted back the way she had come; interestingly, this is where a new, medium-pitched bell-ringing came from, not too far.

"Hey, wait—!" Shouta reached out to say something, but she was already gone, having either not heard him or ignored him. He retracted that hand and scratched high on his back, thinking of how she had behaved so far, and deduced the latter.

"Sheesh . . . only wanted to see if you wanted to team up," he murmured and sighed. "Bau sure as hell won't do it, he'll think I'm trying to be his seeing eye dog." He chuckled at his own lame joke, realizing full-well at the same time that he was speaking totally to himself. "Damn."

A tiny tug was felt on his shorts, climbing as it called his attention. Shouta looked at his left hip when the pint-sized figure continued up. When it reached his waist, its proportionateley big eyes met his; they were his own. He took the little one into his palm, and brought it up so he could see it comfortably. He was a miniature version of himself.

"Any luck?" he asked.

Mini-Shouta shook his head. His small hand was raised and swept in front. "Zoom," he piped.

"Animal was too fast for you tiny fellas to follow, huh?" Mini-Shouta nodded. "Okay, you guys did good. All of you come back to me, now." Carefully Shouta extended the arm Mini-Shouta Number One stood on, and the little one jumped before diving headfirst into the mounds of his palm, being completely absorbed.

One by one, more Mini-Shoutas climbed up his body to that arm, and jumped in at different parts in a variety of ways. Some dove like the first, and others simply hopped up, plugged their noses, and fell straight into the skin, like a pencil, until a total of seven had blended in.

A rush made Shouta grin reflexively as he shivered and covered the spot by the inside of his elbow where the last one had immersed itself. Then, his face turned straight. From his pocket, he pulled out a small sour candy ball, took it from its wrapper, popped it into his mouth, and stuck the wrapper in his other pocket.

"Those little guys burn off so much sugar when they're out of me," he complained under his breath. "What a waste, since they didn't do anything produc—"

A loud tinkling interrupted his out-loud thought, and he grinned, pushing the ball in his mouth to one cheek, leaving his smile askew. With no time to waste, he sped in the direction of the sound.

**

* * *

**

Ao was soundless as she hid behind a tree, peeking around the circumference of the trunk to spy on a large, lavendar-grey cat as it licked its paw and brushed that paw in its face. It purred obnoxiously and simply sat on its branch. The bell on its neck dangled and tinkled faintly when knocked by a paw.

The girl still proceeded with caution as a wry smirk marked her countenance. The cat was rather large; not like a lion or tiger, but about twice the size of a house cat. The reason was apparent when one looked at its apparel: a little blue vest, left open, and a Konoha headband around its neck; Ao's suspicions of the exercise were also answered.

Ao, Oto, and Shouta were not chasing "pets," but summoning animals.

This was also the reason for her caution, since these animals were stronger, faster, smarter (to the extent of being able to engage in human speech), and few had learned jutsu. It occurred to her that some sort of plan should have been made, and kicked herself.

_Well, no time like the present. And all I need is that stupid bell,_ she thought.

Silently, she crept around the tree and succeeded in being swift when moving without giving away her position. Her eyes stayed on the target, but also was wary of the trunk and branches of trees. She was rounding the back of the cat, still respecting a wide, invisible bubble of space, when it lifted its head, brought up its hindquarters, and shook its shoulders. Ao stopped dead and did not make a single noise.

(A thought: _Shouldn't that bell've been louder? Practically non-existent. . . ._)

Abruptly, the cat began running away at a lightning-fast pace and Ao followed just as quickly, sparing subtlety. When she kicked off a branch, she added more force, therefore going a longer distance, and applied chakra in hopes of running faster. She continued this with every branch she came to, closing the distance between herself and the cat.

The thrill of the chase began filling Ao, and a wicked grin came to her face with every drop of distance. Even with the shock of her muscles every time she landed, she did not ache a bit, thanks to much training. She had already conditioned herself to that, and the small bursts of chakra were also insignificant to her great supply. Adrenaline sparked its course through her veins.

Soon, she was only one more branch behind, and kicked off that final branch with extra force. As she flew, she kept her arms close to her sides, limiting air resistance. While she neared the animal, the sound of the bell was becoming more faint, though she pinned some blame on concentration of attempting capture. Her hands neared the tip of the tail, glanced along its wagging form, and she almost had a hold of its hips—

The cat turned left sharply and pranced to lower branches, descending toward the forest floor. In mid-air, Ao somersaulted and landed on a branch, facing where the cat had run; its bell was ringing louder as it retreated, the girl realized, and thought a profanity. The entire area must have a genjutsu cast over it that made the bell's music louder as it escaped a pursuer and lower as it neared. A second challenge to hinder the chances of aspiring shinobi.

In response to this challenge, Ao closed her eyes and brought her hands together to form a special sign. Quietly, she murmured, "Release," and felt like invisible and structure-lacking earplugs dissolved from her ears in soundless wisps.

Sure that the sound of bells would no longer fool her, she began following the sound in order to track the cat again. Briefly her mind wandered to the blind member of her new, but so temporary, team, Oto. He already had lack of sight hindering him in this exercise. If he could not trust his ears then how was he going to have any hope in passing?

She mentally shrugged since it was none of her concern whether he passed or failed, it did not matter. All that mattered was to pass, herself.

**End of Chapter Three**

Next Time on .:Violets are Blue:.!! Chapter Four: Old and New

"Stop arguing with the Daimyo's kid and tell us what our mission is!"

Naruto agreed impishly. "Y-yes, Sakura-chan. . . ." With one last glare to the girl, who responded by sticking out her tongue, he acknowledged the rest of the group. "Your mission is to escort this brat—the Daimyo's daughter, Chiyo—through the Marsh Country to the Village Hidden in its Beauty for the Winter Festival so she can perform the dance for the celebration of light reborn, renewal, strength, and fertility. Once the festival's over, you'll take her back to the Daimyo's castle then come home."

* * *

**Aki's Author Corner**

Simply a few notes. I know it's Summer, but I don't think that's going to mean getting these out any faster, sadly. I am one of easy distraction and I've gotten into playing Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II, and Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, lately XD Replaying them, that is, and they shall help because I have also committed some time to writing a Naruto/Kingdom Hearts Crossover. I am on chapter two :D My first project---aside from a side-story to a friends original story---that has something aside from Naruto, and it's more of a Kingdom Hearts story with NAruto elements and characters, you could say. That is all I will say on the subject for now :D

As for reviews, you guys know that the fiftieth reviewer will get a one-shot! Just thought I'd remind ya :) We are at five, last time I checked. w00t w00t!! XD So... tell me whatcha guys think, and you may also leave suggestions of what you wish to see in the future.

Oh, and back to the Crossover. I don't know when it'll come out. Maybe once I write chapter two, mayhap once I've written more.

That's all. God bless you for reading!

* * *

**Responses**

.Shadow: Thanks XD Yeah, I can imagine that. His first conclusion of course would be that Krystal and Naruto got together and he wouldn't like that. When he finds out about Sai and Krystal . . . -grins evilly-

Rory: -points at beginning of chapter- Does that answer your inquiry XD?

Hahaha don't apologize for not making an account or for giving long reviews---it's not so bad giving response in following chapters, it simply means I can't get back to you sooner and I prefer long reviews to the shorter ones :D I'm kind of a blabber mouth, too, and long reviews gives me more to work with when I respond!

I'm glad I made it believable :D I know, personally, I'd prob'ly be more like Annora in that situation, possibly holding a little anger but trying to be rational about it XD Oh yes, and thank you, for your words and reviews


	4. Old and New

Recap From the Prior Chapter: Sure that the sound of bells would no longer fool her, she began following the sound in order to track the cat again. Briefly her mind wandered to the blind member of her new, but so temporary, team, Oto. He already had lack of sight hindering him in this exercise. If he could not trust his ears then how was he going to have any hope in passing?

She mentally shrugged since it was none of her concern whether he passed or failed, it did not matter. All that mattered was to pass, herself.

**Chapter Four: Old and New**

_Short, blonde hair mussed against the dead grass. Those golden, silky tendrils were sullied by sickly carmine liquid seeping from a wound on her scalp; that wound may have been smaller, but a pooling of blood the size of a large plum_ _dramatized the size. Her pupils were dilated, its blackness nearly stretching to eclipse dark magenta irises. Color of a healthful human was drained from her face, leaving her white with the exception of swelled yellow and blue mounds. The skin around her eyes was darkened._

_Lacerations, dirt, and blood covered her body, and she was positioned at strange angles. Tears were all over her clothes, revealing other cuts, scratches, bruises, and scrapes. Her fishnet tights were in tatters, and her short blue navy shorts had much dirt on it._ _The girl's long-sleeved, pink button-up was bloodied, torn, and open, showing her bra and a very deep gash in her stomach. Her Konoha headband was broken in half at her waist, split down the middle, as whatever had wounded her had broken through it._

_Green chakra glowed around Sakura's hands as she hovered her palms over the wound. She moved one hand to the injury at the girl's head, trying to heal both at once; both hands shook violently, toughening the task. A panicked expression on her face was dampened with sweat, and there was a small scratch on her cheek._

_"Rena! Rena! Please, stay with me!" she yelled, voice tremulous. "Don't die!"_

_Rena gave very little response, both in healing and in acknowledging. Her body did not move, except for when Sakura's hand gently twisted her head to face her. "Ah. . . . Er. . . . Eh. . . . Uh. . . . Mm. . . ." She could not form words; she could barely draw breath. Her lightless eyes slowly rolled toward her teacher's. They closed and then fought their way back open, as if she had simply been trying to blink._

_Blood begun abruptly gushing from the stomach injury, so Sakura quickly put both hands to use there; Rena's head fell back, and her eyes closed. Then she took her hand to the head wound, again, knowing she could not leave that one unattended. She gulped. She needed help. She needed another medical ninja, or else her student would be lost._

_But there was noone. She was the only ninja present that could mend. She would __**have**__ to be enough._

_"Come on . . . hang on, please . . . hang on!"_

_Along with the obvious external damage, there were tears on her stomach organ and intestines. The foul stench of intestinal fluid, content, and stomach acid was all Sakura could smell. The wound on Rena's scalp was closed, so she rightfully had both hands working on the internal damage, paying no mind to what her hands were sticking into._

_Sadly, she knew it was futile, but tried anyway. If only her organs had not been sliced open . . . it was impossible to repair that severe of damage without proper equipment before the life was lost, especially in this setting. Soon, her vision was blurred as cold water leaked from her eyes, and forced more chakra in._

_"Don't do this! I said I'd protect all of you, I wouldn't let you die, but I need you to fight, too! Rena—__**please!**__"_

_Her words were useless, for Rena could no longer hear. Already, her chest was still and the blood flow slowed. Her soul had already left her body. She was dead—_

The book Sakura had read was launched at a rock, hitting it forcefully before tumbling into the river. Quickly, it was carried away by the current as Sakura put her head in her hands. There was not a single thing in that book that could have helped her save Rena, not anything she had not already known about medical ninjutsu.

The woman swallowed, feeling as though a toxic poison ran down her esophagus and into her stomach where the ghost of some sort of blade sliced across her lower gut. Then, she lowered her hands with a tiny shiver. Her eyes averted to the side, to the clock, and saw that there was twenty-five minutes left in the exercise.

She stood up and brought her arm in front of her body, stretching. Also, she picked up her feet, recirculating blood through her legs, since she had been sitting still for so long. Her eyes glanced at the sky, where she spotted a bird, and she stopped. Standing normally, squinting against the sun, she waited as the dark brown messenger bird climbed down. She did not hold out her arm, for the animal had talons, but watched as it hopped around stupidly, trying to find a balance on the rock. It found a bump, sort of like a tree root made of stone, and perched there as comfortably as it could and offered a leg, which had a small note on it.

Sakura stared at it and then began to untie the note when the bird impatiently flapped a wing and wagged its foot. As she worked, the bird's eyes caught movement by the edge of the forest.

It was a small, tawny mouse, which nibbled on a seed, seemingly oblivious to the danger. It finished that seed and skipped along the grass to another not far. The pupils of the bird of prey thinned, enlarging gold irises.

The jonin kunoichi finished obtaining the note and the bird took off to the mouse quickly. It did not climb higher, but kept at the same level momentarily, until it was close enough to swoop and catch the mouse by surprise. Sakura watched as it continued to fly, lopping on its side to give the trees a wide berth and saw the poor mouse dangle from its beak when passing. As it flew off, she saw it raise its head—to swallow, she assumed—and then continue flying away with a loud cry.

Sakura shivered. It was nature, but it was also rather disgusting.

Her attention turned toward the note in her hand, which she unrolled. It was a tiny paper, the width if her finger, with just enough length to fit three words of Naruto's handwriting: "Mission. Come now."

Again Sakura checked the time on the clock. There was eighteen minutes left in the exercise. However, Hokage's orders were Hokage's orders. She picked up the clock, twisted a knob on the back, and heard as the alarm rang through the area. Poofs could also be heard as the summoning animals—unless they had been caught somehow—disappeared. Her students would show up soon.

**

* * *

**

The little girl standing beside the Hokage's desk stared at Team Seven with critical, tangerine eyes. In height, she came above the desk at her chest and at the age of nine, she seemed a little lanky. A full kimono with refined design covered her body, tied over by a long obi. Her kimono was royal blue and the obi was a deep violet.

Pins made up the design of her hair, which was blacker than night, to collect at the back of her head and hung in loose ringlets. Circles of a pink blush would always decorate her cheeks.

She turned to Naruto. "_These_ are the ninja you want to escort _me?_" she asked crossly. "I'm the daughter of the Daimyo! Shouldn't I at least have a collection of ANBU?" As she spoke, her chin was raised, as if distancing herself. "You might be in charge of your little village, here, but my daddy rules the Fire Country! What do you think he will say when he sees you want _chuunin_ to—"

Naruto stood from his desk, "Listen, brat!" and faced her so he towered above. The girl was seemingly undaunted as she craned her neck back to meet his gaze and put her small fists on her hips. "You get, what you get! This mission is just to protect you against bandits—C-rank! C-rank missions are assigned to chuunin and high-level genin. I'm not brown-nosing to the Daimyo by sending perfectly good ANBU on a kiddy assignment like this when there are other, more _important_ missions!"

"More important? Just because I'm a kid, you won't give me proper protection?!"

"No, Konoha chuunin can handle this!"

"I want ANBU!"

Naruto's hands turned to fists and his eyes grew an angry white. "People don't always get what they wa—OW!" Naruto rubbed the growing lump on his head and glanced to his right, where Sakura stood on the other side of the desk after stepping out of line. Her fist was still raised as she regarded Naruto with the same eyes he had previously.

"Stop arguing with the Daimyo's kid and tell us what our mission is!"

Naruto agreed impishly. "Y-yes, Sakura-chan. . . ." With one last glare to the girl, who responded by sticking out her tongue, he acknowledged the rest of the group. "Your mission is to escort this brat—the Daimyo's daughter, Chiyo—through the Marsh Country to the Village Hidden in its Beauty for the Winter Festival so she can perform the dance for the celebration of light reborn, renewal, strength, and fertility. Once the festival's over, you'll take her back to the Daimyo's castle then come home."

Ao leaned her head back, rolling her eyes. _This is genin-level! I could do this sleep-walking!_

"But I don't want them to escort me, so they won't," Chiyo insisted, crossing her arms.

Still staring at the ceiling, Ao gave a mental sigh and brought her eye level down, trying to hold back shouts of frustration. She bit her lip, closed her eyes, breathed in through her nose, and breathed out. She stepped out of the line, toward Chiyo, with a princely smile.

"Don't worry your pretty little head over it, Chiyo-sama, we aren't incompetent." Her hand went to her chest. "Myself especially." She lowered that hand and continued closer. "Until recently, I was one of that which you seek, an ANBU . . . until this _buffoon_ demoted me for no good reason—"

"—I am not a buffoon!—"

Sakura punched Naruto again, creating another lump. "Shut up and let her finish!" she whispered fiercely.

Ao sneered at Naruto before turning back to Chiyo, wearing a kind mask. "I will protect you."

Chiyo seemed disbelieving as Ao covered her hand with hers, but blushed nonetheless. Her eyes wandered to one of the boys, who stood without attention, at ease. He had his hands laced behind his head as he twisted back and forth, regarding the ceiling. He seemed to be chewing gum; thus confirmed when he blew a small bubble and silently popped it in his mouth. She did not like the look of him as a protector, despite his height.

The other boy, next to the first, stood normal in neither a regal or casual way. His shoulders were back comfortably, and his arms simply hung at his sides. The expression he wore was more serious than his teammate's, but as he was blind, his stare was passive. Chiyo saw this as a handicap.

Her eyes wandered to the teacher, who stared back emotionlessly. She at least seemed strong.

And this boy in front of her looked rather feminine, with long eyelashes and a girlish voice. He certainly could not have been much older than herself, either, from his size. An ANBU, he had claimed to be? Chiyo snorted and sneered.

"Frankly, none of you seem up to the challenge." She pointed at them in turn. "He is illy attentive, he is blind, and _you—,_" she took her hand from Ao's, "—are too young to've been an ANBU, liar! You look weak. What kind of boy are you, you look like a girl barely older than me. Isn't that the petty age students become genin?"

Silence crept around the room as Oto glared, Shouta snorted, and Naruto and Sakura simply watched the "boy." "He" still smiled as "he" knelt on one knee to Chiyo's level, coming an inch shorter.

Impulsively, Ao pinched the little girl's cheeks and began to stretch them out. She closed her eyes in that wolf's grin as Chiyo struggled with her taut cheeks. "This girly boy graduated at the age of six and was in fact chuunin at your age. He was of exceptional skill, as the youngest to have ever graduated. **EVER.** He has tested himself against your daddy's pathetic excuse for a palace guard, men twice to thrice his age. That boy, is me. I can protect you better than anyone."

She opened her eyes and released Chiyo's cheeks, allowing them to smack back to her bones. Heat flushed into them and the girl covered them with her hands protectively, glaring. Her eyes swept to the adults, both of whom wore smiles. She could practically read the thoughts behind Naruto's smirk: _That's what you get, brat!_

Then, she looked at Ao's smirk again. "Well kid?"

Chiyo's glare further manifested. "I demand proper respect from the four of you. When we get home to my daddy's palace, I'm telling him on you—if you don't fail to keep me alive, first!"

They all, except for Oto, rolled their eyes. Naruto spoke. "You guys are leaving in the morning, you can go. Be ready for a long trip."

They all nodded. "Okay." The team left at once, filing out of the door into the hallway.

As they were leaving, Shouta stayed for Ao so he could walk beside her. Promptly, he asked, "You know you basically lied to the Daimyo's daughter about your gender in there, right?"

"I guess you aren't as 'illy attentive' as she thought."

He ignored her dodging. "Why did you tell her you were a guy?"

She squinted. "It wasn't intentional. She made an assumption. Besides, I hate being underestimated. Past experiences have spelled it out for me that no matter what rank a girl has reached, boys are presumed stronger. They aren't underestimated as much. She might even feel safer this way."

"Hn," he responded, putting his hands in his pockets. "I don't get why you hate being underestimated so much. It can be your greatest weapon; it keeps the element of surprise in your hands."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course you wouldn't."

He turned toward her. "Well would you rather be overestimated?" She glared at him demonically and he realized he had hit the taboo subject in a sense that held him accountable. "I'm not calling you weak. Just think about if for a second, hear me out."

He looked at her scowling mug for a sign of agreement. She nodded. "When you're being underestimated, you have a chance to prove someone wrong and exceed expectations. As a kid, you did that—something amazing. You'll be known for that. But, if people knew just what to expect, then you wouldn't be amazing—kinda average, actually, since the 'wow'-factor would be gone. And if more than what you could deliver is expected—_God forbid_—," he said that part sarcastically, "—you'd be a failure and a disappointment. So really, since I've noticed you're also very vain, you've been dealt the winning hand."

Ao gave a tiny smile, lips parted slightly as she thought. "Wow . . . it never occurred to me like that, before." Shouta shrugged with a smile. "Maybe I won't be so insecure about it." She turned to him. "I think I'm actually starting to like you a bit."

He laughed. "Sorry, I like girls a little older and a less cocky."

"Oh, bite me." She stuck out her tongue.

**

* * *

**

Konoha's aviary was filled with the creaking of wings old and new as some birds flew in through open windows or out them. Some would visit each other on perches and preen their feathers. A vast majority of those perches were on a large tree in the center of the one-room building. The walls were wooden. Bins of seed surrounded the base of the tree. When one looked up, the high ceiling was obscured by green leaves.

Hatsumomo was such one, a frequent visitor for reasons unofficial. He wore a broad smile as he looked up and saw the birds fly to one another. The number of times in which he had visited here was irrelevant; he was always in awe.

Once he finished gawking, he spread his arms and released a loud, ear-piercing trill that did not frighten the birds, but attracted them to him. They were affectionate, stroking their beaks through his hair (if they could reach) and some did it to his clothes. He giggled and tilted his head to stop one from preening the right of his neck/hairline. "That tickles!"

A few adults were in the room, receiving messages from the incoming birds or tying parcels onto the legs of outgoing ones. Not many were doing so, so they did not seem to mind that a little boy was playing. A few were smiling fondly.

Sasuke was one of those adults, but he did not have a job at the aviary. His smile shone more in his eyes than in the curve of his mouth. His arms were crossed, but it did not turn his demeanor aggressive. Removed from the Grass Country fashion, he wore a sleeveless black turtleneck, white pants, and black zori.

"You should be at the Academy," he stated. Hatsumomo turned, still acting as the perch to a great amount of birds. He shrugged, scaring some away. "Playing hooky?"

He shook his head and one of the birds pecked him, annoyed. "Ow! No, I'm just n-not going," he said in a small voice, "I don'like the 'cademy."

Sasuke's smile fell, replaced with a stoical look as his boy continued to nonchalantly play with the birds. "Regardless, it's important if you want to become a strong ninja. You have to attend."

"Ootoji-sama didn't go all the time. He's Hokage," the blonde pointed out.

Sasuke's scowl deepened almost unnoticeably. "Naruto's the dunce. He was the worst student—probably ever—of Master Iruka's. He failed the graduation test."

Abruptly, Hatsumomo ceased playing and whipped around to face him; his eyes were planets. "No way?" Then he shook his head, disbelieving, and received more pecking. "(Owies!) You're _lying!_"

"I'm not."

"But . . . but he still 'came Hokage!"

"Because he trained hard." Sasuke could see reasoning would not work with this child. It was a good thing, then, that it was not quite his style. "Say goodbye to the birds. You're going to the Academy."

Hatsumomo frowned and protested. "But I tolded you I don' wanna!"

"I don't care. You're going," Sasuke responded, taking the kid's hand. When he had approached, the birds had flown away. A few stray feathers littered the scene.

Hatsumomo skid his sandals across the ground, attempting to fight against Sasuke's hold, but his father had absolutely no problem dragging him across the aviary floor. "No!—NOO!! Lemme go!" Hatsumomo whined, hitting Sasuke's arm.

"I dun wanna goooooo!"He grunted, punched, kicked, but his father was undeterred, feeling next to nothing. Anything he did feel was not pain; rather a tickling sensation, or a soft poking. The boy growled.

"Stop struggling. It's futile."

"What the heck's 'few-tile'? YOU'RE few-tile! Jus' lemme gooo!"

They exited the aviary. The looks Sasuke and his son received from people did not bother him, and let Hatsumomo continue to struggle. It was quite annoying whilst also being oddly entertaining. He could not deny that this kid, if not very strong or a prodigy, had spirit.

Then, he began biting. That is when fun discontinued and Sasuke's final straw was found. Sadly, for Hastumomo, it was the short one. Sasuke lifted the kid by his ankles, holding him out in front of him at arm's length. Their physiognomies faced one another, Hatsumomo's hovering six inches above the ground as it glared at Sasuke's, which stared at him, expressionless; with the exception of a minutely amused smirk.

Hatsumomo's face turned red as the blood rushed to his head. He looked to be full of fury, and still had energy to flail. It had taken a turn toward ridiculous, but Sasuke appeared unfazed as he continued "escorting" his son.

**

* * *

**

The attic of the Uchiha Estate was full of clutter, memories, and plain old junk. Due to the multitude of buildings, there were many attics, full of things from generations passed and, from what he had been told, some of Sasuke's clothes and gear from before his disappearance, as Krystal had not been able to find it in her to throw them away.

That sense of preservation about her used to drive him crazy, at times—it would be associated to a "pack rat." Now, he supposed it was his luck that she was that way, if only he could find the things she had saved. For about a week he had been checking attics, however, and to his understanding, he was hunting through the final one. A light on the ceiling illuminated everything.

He stood, hunched a little to avoid hitting his head, as he carried a small trunk from the cramped spaces near the wall to the clearing in the center, and kneeled on one knee in front of it. Silently, he opened the chest. Memories lied inside.

The first object he brought out was a box, about 18" X 12" X 3", that was nearly clear of dust, whereas the other items seemed coated with it; like someone had recently taken a look at it. He extracted the box and set it on the floor prior to lifting the lid. His eyes widened a little.

_Sasuke looked at his right, down to the beautiful woman on his arm dressed in white. Her skin was fair, and a touch of red colored her soft lips, which he had trouble waiting to kiss. Under the veil, her hair was held in loose ringlets, some of which were not bobby-pinned and touched her cheek. _

_Her kimono was light and elegant, decorated with silver, curved, vine-like lines near the hems and along the fold. The obi was also silver, and trailed behind her from the back as her train._

_As directed by the priest, they faced each other and exchanged rings. When they were permitted, their lips locked, deepened when Sasuke placed his hand on the small of her back and Krystal wrapped her arms around his neck._

It was the kimono Krystal had worn at their wedding. Sasuke held a small smile and closed it away in the box, setting it aside. He continued sifting through things.

**

* * *

**

Hinata stood at her sink, with the sleeves of her deep violet, long-sleeved shirt rolled up, manually washing dishes. During the task, her blue-violet locks were tied back in a loose ponytail, the tip leading down to the small of her back. Two, shorter locks were on either side of her face, brushing along her jaw line, and her bangs looked as if they were cut against a ruler above her eyebrows.

Over the shirt, she wore a long, sleeveless coat colored white with a flaming symbol on the back. With the ensemble she also wore black capris and summery, feminine ninja sandals. She looked for food substance on a plate with her lavendar-white byakugan eyes.

Naruto entered the kitchen and called a greeting, which she returned. He stopped next to her, setting a white bag on the counter, and pecked her lips. "I brought back some of your favorite cinnamon rolls," he grinned. "Think the baby'll like 'em, too?"

The woman returned the smile and turned toward him, wiping her hands and forearms on a dishtowel. Sure enough, her uterus was ENORMOUS. "Probably." She giggled as Naruto's hand went over the convex form.

The blonde could not help but smile. "Three more months . . . and we'll finally have our first baby."

Hinata's smile was a little sad, as Naruto removed his hitaiate and placed his forehead against the top of her bump. Quietly, Hinata began, "Erm, Naruto-kun . . . I'm sorry."

He raised his head, bringing his eyebrows together. "Why?"

She looked off to the side, shame apparent in her face. "It took so long . . . if I hadn't had such trouble getting pregnant . . . and if, when I finally did the last time . . . if it hadn't been miscarried, we—"

Before allowing her to finish the sentence, Naruto held her hands and kissed her. Hinata's eyes stayed open for a moment, seeming to turn wet, but she soon closed them. It was a few moments before Naruto released the kiss, and he looked her square in the eye, wiping under the left one when a tear escaped.

"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. As far as conception goes, it could've been because of me just as much as it could've been you. And the miscarriage. . . ." Light seemed to leave his eyes, momentarily, but then he pulled her head into his chest; because of the baby, withal, she was not as close as he would have hoped. "I don't blame you at all. So please . . . don't blame yourself. All that matters is that we do everything we can to make sure this child comes out healthy . . . and is nothing like the Daimyo's daughter." He shivered. "I love you, first and foremost. Nothing will change that."

Hinata gave a light giggle and nodded. She pulled away, however, and turned her back to him. Her hands found Naruto's arms, and she wrapped them around her self, pressing against him as she closed her eyes. Naruto rested his cheek against her temple. Now, the baby was not between them.

**End of Chapter Four**

Next time on .:Violets are Blue:.!! Chapter Five: Confession in the Dark

Oto leaned his head back, though not far as it strained the posterior of his neck; his head had already been against the wall. He sighed. Stuck in a closet, with the girl he hated. Stuck in a closet, _holding_ the girl he hated. Stuck in a closet, somehow appreciating a bit that she had not shown or possibly even felt awkward about saying that she could not see.

* * *

**Responses**

**Rory: **I agree. Without details, some stories seem seem awkward to me. As for the teamwork test . . . -shifty eyes- I got bored writing it, so I decided it would be interrupted XD This mission was planned, though, sorta so I simply moved it up. I'm trying to put Sasuke in here and there, but it's a little bit harder since he's not the love interest of the main character, anymore. Ao's the main, and Sasuke will have his more significant parts later on, I think, so . . . yeah.

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**Thanks for reading! God bless :D Please review**


	5. Confession in the Dark

Recap from the Prior Chapter: "Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. As far as conception goes, it could've been because of me just as much as it could've been you. And the miscarriage. . . ." Light seemed to leave his eyes, momentarily, but then he pulled her head into his chest; because of the baby, withal, she was not as close as he would have hoped. "I don't blame you at all. So please . . . don't blame yourself. All that matters is that we do everything we can to make sure this child comes out healthy . . . and is nothing like the Daimyo's daughter." He shivered. "I love you, first and foremost. Nothing will change that."

Hinata gave a light giggle and nodded. She pulled away, however, and turned her back to him. Her hands found Naruto's arms, and she wrapped them around her self, pressing against him as she closed her eyes. Naruto rested his cheek against her temple. Now, the baby was not between them.

**Chapter Five: Confession in the Dark **

Their pale hands were intertwined, a small, dainty one enclosed in the callused palm and mounds of the female preteen mistaken for a young boy. Ao felt her cheeks burn against the cold as she lifted her head to the gloomy sky. At her side, Chiyo was all smiles, her countenance only slightly enkindled as her strides came out in skips.

Shouta, Oto, and Sakura were not far away, but Ao chose to ignore them for the time being. It was quite difficult because of Shouta's gum-popping. It took all of her self-control not to look behind and tell him to stop, for the configuration of his visage was far too manifest in her mind, something along the lines of an expression that sneered, "I told you so," although he had not actually said anything of the girl developing a crush on her. But he had been right in implying that she should have been true about her gender.

Chiyo began swinging their bondage, and Ao retracted her hand, scratching behind her head. "Chiyo-sama, is it really necessary for me to hold your hand? I should be keeping both of my hands free, to better protect you."

Hearts and stars were in her eyes and she boldly wrapped her arms around Ao's, resting her cheek against it. "My prince cares so much for my safety! But if my prince is so great a ANBU, shouldn't you be able to hold my hand and defend me?"

"Erm. . . ." Ao sighed and slumped over with a groan. _Why did this kid have to cling to me __**more?**_

She heard a laugh and found herself turning her head without thought—Shouta was beaming with the look she had imagined. _Aw crap!_ She quickly looked forward again, making Shouta laugh a little louder. "Shut up!"

The brunette grinned. "What? Bau said something funny."

"I didn't say anything."

"Aw, c'mon Bau, you don't have to rat me out like that! You're a horrible alibi."

"It's your own fault, Shouta," Sakura pointed out, "you know Oto isn't much of a joker, he rarely goes along with them."

He shrugged, "Guess you have a point," and laced his fingers behind his head. _Hmm . . . I think this gum is starting to lose its flavor._ Tilting his head back, he silently wondered if he should change to another piece, when he noticed the color of the clouds. "Hey . . . they've gotten darker."

Sakura looked at him, then looked up. The clouds were not simply dark, like rain clouds, but they were black thunder clouds. "You're right. Looks like a storm."

"Storm?" Ao, Oto, and Chiyo chorused. The girls said it in a note of fear, as the younger one held onto the older one's arm tighter, and the boy said it with dread. His mouth tightened when he discovered that he had been simultaneous with them. The Uchiha raised a brow; she had not expected him to say anything, since he rarely did.

"No! Not a _storm!_" Chiyo panicked, closing her eyes. In the same movement, she jumped, looped her arms around Ao completely, and squeezed hard enough to make her stagger. "I don't like storms! They're big! And loud! And _scary!_ You'll protect me, won't you, Prince?" her forehead pressed hard against "Prince's" back.

Ao opened her mouth, but she did not have the voice to articulate her thoughts. With a nervous smile, she cleared her throat. "Sakura-sensei . . . perhaps we should take refuge at a hotel in the next town, to appease the girl. There should be one nearby, correct?"

Still staring at the sky, Sakura replied, "Yeah . . . I have no intention of walking when there's a storm, or camping during one." _I can only imagine the reprimanding I'd get when the Daimyo hears his daughter had to sleep on the ground during a thunder storm._

Ao smiled. "Well, let's get a move on then!"

**

* * *

**

_"Shouta . . . have you ever kissed a girl?" Rena asked lightly, staring out of a wide window. Her eyes were soft, looking over her shoulder as her back partly rested on the window pane and she had a minutely mischievous smile._

_The boy blinked, the white stick of his sucker poking from his mouth. His eyes stared at her widely, almost innocently. "Eeeerrrr. . . . What's it to you?"_

_Rena giggled and turned her head toward him. At the sight of his face, she laughed. "Well, tomato-face, I think that tells all." She faced forward, overlooking the room, dully. There were two twin beds, separated by a bedside table perpendicular to where they stood. Also, a round table in the center._

_Although she had teased him about it, her cheeks also turned crimson, and she rubbed her arm. "That's okay though, I guess," she said, as Shouta displayed a slightly nervous look. "Me neither."_

_"Oh." The boy leaned into the comfortably cushioned chair. This was the room he and Oto were going to share for their mission; Rena was visiting. He wondered why she had asked, since to him, the concept itself was not a big deal; a first kiss would happen when it happened. From her. . . ._

_Rena sighed and turned half-circle into a squat, put her hands on the windowsill, bowed her head, and shook it. "It's lame, though! We're fifteen and we've never kissed anyone! There were a bunch of girls while we were still in the __**Academy **__bragging about no longer being 'Virgin Lips.' . . ."_

_Shouta snorted. "'Virgin Lips.' . . . it's not a big deal, though. Probably fifty to seventy-five percent of those girls were just pulling your leg. People do it all the time."_

_"Pull my leg?!" she snapped to him. "Are you saying I'm gullible?"_

_"N—wellll. . . ." He shrugged with a sly sneer. "What I'm saying though, actually, is people lie. Simple as that."_

_"But you still believe I'm gullible enough to believe those lies."_

_"Well, if you really believe that you're the only girl from our graduating class that hasn't had her first kiss. . . ."_

_Rena narrowed her eyes and murmured, "Didn't say ALL the girls. . . ." She stood. "But by now, it's a possible occurrence. Unlike you, at least, though . . . I'm not dim." Her lips pursed in a pout as her cheeks grew redder and her eyes angled toward the ceiling._

_He raised an eyebrow. "Gullible and dim go hand in hand, if you want the truth. How am I dim? Remember, I was smartest in the class."_

_The blonde crossed her arms and stared at her feet. "Keep up! Why do you think I started this conversation with you? It's annoying, having Virgin Lips. . . ."_

_It still took Shouta a moment to realize what she was getting at, and when he did, he dropped his head and grinned, feeling the heat rush to his face. "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me, aren't you?"_

_"Mrs. Robinson" glared at him. "Don't say it THAT way! I'm not trying for—for __**sex**__ or anything!—," he laughed at her perturbation, "—I was just thinking, we could get our first kiss over with . . . you know, so it won't be over our heads? Or __**my**__ head, since you don't really seem to care?"_

_Shouta cleared his throat and looked up at her with his arms on the armrests; his face did not appear to have a prominent red hue. Then, he lifted one of his arms and extracted the lollipop from his mouth; there was no longer candy at the end. Rena met his eyes, and he smiled sheepishly. "So, you'll do it?" she asked._

_"Well, what kind of man would I be to refuse?" he answered as he stood and casually tossed the stick aside. Suddenly, he turned more serious as he took a step to approach her. Rena bashfully smiled and stepped away from the wall, moving toward him, as well. Her height reached almost his chin. _

_"But, you're not exactly a man, now, are you?" she said, tilting her head back to a suitable angle._

_Shouta stared, a slight smile tugging at his parted lips. "No . . .," he took one more step forward and held her hands, ". . . but I'm not a little boy, either. . . ." He angled his head and started to lean into her; her countenance made her appear breathless. Just before his lips would meet hers and as her eyes closed, he paused and said, "Rena . . . I have a confession to make."_

_"Hmm?"_

_". . . I've wanted to kiss you, for a long time." She did not reply, and he indulged, softly caressing her lips with his._

**

* * *

**

He wished he could only remember her like she was in that moment. The shine of her golden locks as they were hit by the coming rays of the afternoon Sun, the rosy tint of her fair cheeks, and her overall glow. Plus, the feel of her satin lips touching his so tenderly.

Now, the image of dull magenta irises and dilated pupils disrupted that pretty vision. The rosy tint was warm, fresh blood, with a scent so strong that he tasted metal instead of her. Color left her face, and instead of standing tall, accepting him boldly, she was limp in his hold.

The chair he currently sat in was the same. The room in which he was temporarily residing, was the same. He was looking at the same scene in which Rena had propositioned a first kiss, for the first time since her death. The company, was different.

Oto sat on one of the beds with a book in one hand and tracing along the mounds on the page with his pointer finger of the other; in other words, he was reading braille.

Shouta leaned the side of his head on his fist. He was not consuming any form of candy or sweet. His eyes seemed to have dulled. "Hey, Bau. . . ." The blind one's finger stopped reading. "Do you . . . ever think of Rena?"

Oto did not show much emotion as his hazy eyes continued to passively face forward, but in all, he seemed unimpressed by the question. "No. She held no importance to me. I have no reason to."

"At all?" the brunette asked incredulously, lifting his head. "But she was out teammate."

"Make your point. I didn't get close enough to kiss her."

"Hey, I never told you that!"

"I think what you veritably forgot was how swell hearing I have. I could hear not only you and her, but many other couples in the hotel performing dirtier actions. Some are having intercourse as we speak."

Shouta was about to retaliate, but gave him an odd look instead and redirected his gaze in many directions, including the floor, the ceiling, and surrounding rooms. He shook his head and muttered, "I'm not sure if the fact that you know that makes you an eavesdropper, a pervert, or both."

Oto narrowed his eyes. "I can't change that I hear it. They're loud, to me. It's unintentional, especially en masse."

"Guess that's a disadvantage to super-hearing." Shouta looked at him. "But even if you didn't get like that with her . . . didn't you at least think of her as a friend?"

Oto was silent as he shook his head and bowed it, closing his eyes. "She found me pathetic. It was annoying. Because I'm blind, she would coddle me, as if I couldn't care for myself. It was obvious every time she felt she had to change what she was going to say because she thought it would 'offend me' or 'hurt my feelings.' Sometimes I wanted to make her ears ring so badly, they'd bleed when she did crap like that."

"That's a little harsh, Bau, don't ya think?"

"No. Not when someone wrongfully treats you like a handicapped person."

Shouta hesitated. "But you don't like our new teammate, either, do you? And she hasn't said anything to you yet. At all, actually, has she? Besides from the introduction, but that was directed toward all of us."

Eyes still closed, Oto smirked, baring gritted teeth. "I have reasons."

Those three words were said in such a forbidding tone, Shouta tried a new question; he said it as if he had not been threatened. "Dude . . . you've hated both girls on our team—and you don't really like Sakura-sensei, do you? Are you gay?"

Oto brushed it off, reverting to a normal persona, though he seemed to find slight humor. "No. I don't like anybody."

"Gee, hate to know what you think of me."

"I tolerate you."

Shouta laughed a little. "Well thanks for that, I guess. I tolerate you, too."

"Good. We're on the same page then."

"Except yours is written in braille."

"Precisely."

**

* * *

**

The storm came around the hours of eight and nine, loudly booming in the sky and playing a spectacular light show for those who did not fear and ones that were courageous enough to face it. Others, were reduced to hiding and waiting it out.

In the boys' room, Shouta was in a deep slumber, his head almost completely under a pillow. He laid on his stomach, his body was tangled in the sheets, it was clear that he wore a white T-shirt and light blue boxers to bed, and he was drooling. Looking at him, one would not guess the outside weather.

All that was discerned in the other bed was a large, long lump, assumed to be Oto. Sakura, performing a quick headcount before she would go to sleep herself, popped her head back into the girl's room, which in truth was the same room separated by a wall with an open doorway.

Chiyo was sleeping soundly beneath the covers of one of the beds, her thumb in her mouth. She also had her hair undone with the clip on the bedside table. Ao sat on the foot of that bed, with wide eyes and apparent tremors, though she tried hard to hide them.

Sakura's eyes showed sympathy. "Ao . . . I can put you under, like Chiyo-chan. You won't hear the storm, you'll stay asleep until I wake you up."

Ao slowly and shakily turned her head toward her teacher. "W-what? No way! I'm—I'm not scared! A-and even if I was, I don't need s-such—coddling!"

"But you are scared. Your mom was like that, too. Everyone else is asleep, you don't have to hide it. I like my team to be well-rested, and if you can't sleep because of the storm. . . ." Ao shook her head, further denying. "Okay. I'm going to sleep, though. I don't want to hear any complaining tomorrow because you didn't sleep."

"Of course n-not," Ao responded, jerking when a large, thunderous boom was heard. Sakura raised a pink eyebrow at her, but then shook her head and headed for the other bed.

For awhile, Ao sat there in that pitiful state. It was silent, almost, with simple rumbles far off in the distance. Cautiously, she slid from the edge to sit on the floor and drew up her knees to hug them. Her eyes shut tight and she yelped as another bolt crashed a bit louder.

But, it was not long before one came too close for comfort. It had come from right outside the window, filling the room with a deafening crash and blinding flash. Everyone else seemed unaffected, deep in sleep, but Ao screeched and dashed madly for the closet and slammed it shut behind her, breathing heavily; her throat had tightened with fear.

"Who's there?" a voice called. It was deep, melodic, but also gruff, as if the speaker was in pain. All the same, it had made her jolt and look in the direction of the voice. Darkness, however, flooded the area, so she could not see the speaker.

She would not forget that voice, however. "Oto?—Ahh!"

There had been another lightning strike, which had been met by Ao's yell and Oto's grunt. "You're . . . a little old to be cowering, aren't you? As an _ANBU,_ you should be ashamed."

Ao gritted her teeth. "Don't mock me! Wha-what are you doing in here?" Another lightning bolt, another yelp, but as she jolted, she hit the wall, unexpectedly. She felt her body bump into Oto, as well.

Oto grunted again and hissed, "Keep your voice down! It's bad enough with the lightning. . . . I'm not afraid of it, it's just the noise—ngh! The noise . . . my ears are extremely sensitive, and your voice _hurts._"

"Well, sorry I had to inflict—," _CRASH!_, "—MYVOICEONYOU!" Ao threw her hands over her ears with such movement that made her entire body jerk; in such a tiny space, the move was not possible without repercussions. As a result, her foot caught on something, sending her falling forward and onto something warm. Oto, who had remained silent through the entire occurrence, found himself beneath the girl he abhorred.

Heat rushed to her cheeks and extremities as her hands felt around where she landed. She could not reach far, but the texture was cotton and constant. The wearer of what she was sure was the shirt he would normally have under a chuunin vest, tightened under her. Ao began to sweat.

"Stop rubbing . . . and get off of me," Oto said with intimidation.

The preteen automatically ceased, feeling her face flush even more. Like she had feared, she laid on—and from the feel of her body's position, was tangled up in—her teammate. While her face and hands were planted on his chest, his arms were firmly wrapped around her, and her hips were somewhere in-between his thighs.

Unfortunately, she also came to another realization: "I . . . I can't move."

He was silent. "Don't joke," the boy said as he tried moving his arms out of her way; they would not budge far.

"I'm not! You think I don't want to get off?" She began wiggling, trying to get away from him, but there was no improvement; with Ao's body rubbing against his, however, a tingling sensation followed by heat began filling him. "But I won't budge! Can't even see in here. . . ."

Oto frowned deeply, feeling the blush that would be lost in his skin tone. "At least stop rubbing against me then, dammit!" _You don't understand how uncomfortable that is!_

She ceased immediately. "Sorry!" Very minutely, she felt him relax, and she did too. While her hands still rested on his chest, she rested her head between them on her right cheek. His heartbeat was a little quick, as it resonated within her ears. Her shoulders began to loosen themselves . . .

. . . only to contract once more when there was another bolt of lightning. To Oto's relief, however, she did not make a sound aside from a very faint "eep" and simply flinched into him, her palms raising as her fingertips wrinkled his shirt. She did not seem to be trembling very violently, either.

Oto leaned his head back, though not far as it strained the posterior of his neck; his head had already been against the wall. He sighed. Stuck in a closet, with the girl he hated. Stuck in a closet, _holding_ the girl he hated. Stuck in a closet, somehow appreciating a bit that she had not shown or possibly even felt awkward about saying that she could not see.

There was another crash, and thankfully, she did not scream again. The latest cries of the storm had been a bit far off, and that in junction with Ao's non-screaming made his ears cease to ring. He could still hear rumbles from far away, and what was in the distance for Ao was hither to him, but it was more of an annoyance than the agony he had felt before.

Now, he just needed to ensure that she would stop screaming. Breathing in deeply, he closed his eyes, holding her a smidgen tighter, and proposed, "Don't tell anyone this happened. If it'll keep you quiet so I don't go completely **deaf** too . . . I'll—," a semi-close bolt made him grunt in pain, "—I'll hold you . . . not that I have any choice, it seems. Just stop yelling."

The former-ANBU hesitated. She would admit very deep down inside that she had not any intention in telling him to stop—she sort of liked this feeling; so alien, foreign, and new. Yet that protective sense was familiar. Admitting it to the outside world would be a weakling's move; it meant she would not have been able to take care of herself.

Evidently, she spent too long speculating for he spoke again. "Don't make the mistake of misunderstanding me. If I could have it another way, I would, and if this did not profit me I would not have offered. But not in the way you think. I don't have any special feelings for you. I don't think of you as a friend, nor will I accept you as a teammate or comrade. The truth is . . . I hate you."

The silence proceeding was long and awkward as she digested his words. She lifted her head from his chest and squinted in the dark where his head should have been, barely capturing a possible outline of him in the lack of light. "How can you hate me? You don't even know me—we met _yesterday!_"

"I know enough. You're complacent, conceited, not as mature as you think you are, condescending, a complete brat! Your vanity is disgusting," he snapped. "I'm proud that I've made it to where I am, with no sight at all, and then you come along, 'I'm so great! I was _ANBU!_'—," he mimicked her voice almost perfectly, "—You've had it easy."

Ao felt a vein pulse in her forehead. "EASY? You think it was EASY, dealing with people who thought I didn't belong? Not being able to connect with my teammates because they were sometimes more than twice my age? And like the majority of them, you just envy me, don't you?"

"I'm not jealous so much as I am pissed off," he admitted. "You've taken everything for granted. A lot of us struggle, like **I did** to get to chuunin. But you . . . hn . . . you had the lineage and special sight to help you—it's like everything was handed to you on a silver platter—"

She interrupted him by hitting his chest. "That's not true! I worked hard to become ANBU!"

"Hmph. But still . . . you act like it's so easy, like a flick of the finger—DAMMIT!" There had been a very loud, very close boom, followed in quick succession by two more, which caused Oto's outburst at the end of his sentence as he breathed his next few breaths very heavily through his nose. His arms had tightened around her as his fingertips probably dug into her sides a little. She had automatically flinched into him. Both were silent as they recollected themselves.

Ao succeeded first. "Well . . . I'm not going to like someone who hates me, so I'll return your animosity. . . . But. I will agree to the terms. There isn't really a choice."

"Fine."

"Tell anyone . . . and you are so dead."

"Believe me. I have no intention."

**

* * *

**

There had come a time in the night where the thundering had finally stopped and the two were able to sleep. The girl had fallen asleep long before the boy, using his chest for a pillow, because even when the storm dulled enough for her hearing to be somewhat ignored, he had to wait out the entire thing.

He also did not stay asleep long, for he found himself awake before her, as well. It was probably because the floor, the wall, and the angle in which he laid to be on both were indeed a discomfort. Ao, on the other hand, had him as a cushion; she felt quite light, due to her size, so at the very least she was not crushing him.

"Wake up," he ordered at a controlled volume. A little louder, he repeated the same phrase, and carefully removed his arms so he could shake her a bit; since he could hear where everything was, now, he found a way. "We need to wake up and get out of here before anybody sees us."

She was slow in responding, as she hugely yawned (releasing an invisible cloud of morning breath right near Oto's face) and tried to stretch before she remembered where she was. Groggily, she opened her eyes, staring into his face. Now that it was morning, there was a little bit of light, enough for her to see that he wore a frown, reminding her of last night's confession. At least she understood now why he acted so coldly toward her.

It was by effort of her sight and his hearing that they found a way to untangle themselves and exit the closet without injury. Another question of hers was answered; like a bat, or dolphin, Oto allowed his ears to be his eyes. He would emit a constant wave of sound vibrations, inaudible to anyone but him, and those waves would hit an object and return to him, telling him how far something was from him. He could also tell basic shape.

Part of her now wished to see that in battle.

Outside of the closet, both ninja were stiff, and stretched. Ao raised both of her arms toward the ceiling and then leaned to either side. Oto was doing similar stretches, but also massaged the back of his neck. Then, suddenly, he stopped, perking his ears.

The prodigy noticed this. "What is it?"

"Besides you and I, there are only two people breathing in this room," he responded.

Ao's eyes widened at him and she first checked the boys' room: Shouta was sound asleep, snoring obnoxiously with a puddle of drool near his mouth on the pillow. Before allowing herself to dwell on how gross the latter discovery was, she went into the girls' s room. Her teacher was sound asleep.

Chiyo's bed was empty.

**End of Chapter Five**

Next Time on .:Violets are Blue:.!! Chapter Six: A Rose of Ink

"Uchiha Sasuke," he replied. Her eyes averted from his face. In continuation, he said, "He's back, you know."

"Of course I know," she said, picking up a watering can. Silently, she walked over to the sink and filled it up, staring at it with eyes more serious than necessary.

Sai followed a little, taking only a step. When the can was full, she turned off the faucet, and there was a pause. "You want to know how this will affect you and Krystal."

He nodded. "Yes."

* * *

**Hey guys! Thanks for reading :D God bless!**

**Also, I have a poll, now---it's featured on my profile. Take it to tell me whether or not you prefer SaiXKrystal or SasukeXKrystal :D I'm curious.**


	6. A Rose of Ink

Recappy From the Last Chappy: The prodigy noticed this. "What is it?"

"Besides you and I, there are only two people breathing in this room," he responded.

Ao's eyes widened at him and she first checked the boys' room: Shouta was sound asleep, snoring obnoxiously with a puddle of drool near his mouth on the pillow. Before allowing herself to dwell on how gross the latter discovery was, she went into the girls' s room. Her teacher was sound asleep.

Chiyo's bed was empty.

**Chapter Six: A Rose of Ink **

Team Sakura stood in the girl's room, enveloped in a somber aura. The leader was near where she had slept, arms crossed beneath her chest as she formed conjectures in her head. Shouta stood near her, now in his street clothes, chewing on the end of a stick of licorice. He rested with an arm across his stomach, the elbow of the other on that arm, concentrating.

On the floor, leaning against the bed, Ao wore an expression of guilt. She had both of her knees up and her arms folded in front of her. Deep in her belly, she began to feel nauseous, but tried to keep her emotions out of the matter. Oto was standing near her, silent and passively scowling.

"How could this have happened?" Sakura wondered softly. "Three chuunin and a jonin protecting one little girl . . . how could someone just waltz in and take her?"

"Not to mention, leave without a trace . . .," Ao added.

Shouta faced her. "Well, you were supposed to be sharing a bed with her. You didn't feel anything? You should've felt her struggles, heard something from her; anything."

The jonin raised her head and shook it. "Not necessarily. Chiyo-sama was scared because of the storm and since she's cranky enough as it is when not fawning over her 'prince,' I thought that I'd help her sleep. I gave her a sedative that would help her sleep through anything for ten hours unless I roused her. She slept through it."

Ao's eyes went from Sakura to the ground in front of herself and closed. While what her teacher said had been true, another reason why she would not have felt anything was that, as it was going on, she had been cowering from the storm in a closet with a boy who seemed to have hated her before she even knew he existed.

"What about you, Bau? Where was your super-hearing last night?"

Oto's face tightened. "The storm masked nearly everything else. Could say it deafened me for a night. Sakura-sensei, what does this mean?"

She sighed. "The storm will have washed away any trail of theirs. We have no idea in what general direction they could even be in because we don't know what type of shinobi kidnapped her; if they were hired from another village; their base could be within the Fire Country or not—in truth, they may not even be true shinobi.

"Since they took her instead of killing her in her sleep and leaving her body to be found, she's probably been kidnapped for ransom. Or maybe they are going to kill her. Our mission is over. The next step is to return to Konoha and report her missing. The Hokage or the Daimyo will probably be contacted within the next few days."

Momentarily, everything was paused and muted. Dumbly, Ao raised her head, brow wrinkled and jaw dropped in an open frown. "Hell no!" She abruptly stood and clenched her fists, deliberately yelling. "There's no way I'm going back to Konoha to put a failed mission on my record."

"Put your vanity aside fleetingly and be realistic. Six years, you're trying to tell us that you never once failed a mission," Oto told her icily, rubbing his right ear.

She turned her head to him, leering. Her eyes were looking at his, but he was scowling in a different direction. "No. Not in the last five, at least." Her reply was curt. "I especially haven't since I became ANBU."

"Shocker."

"Shut up!" The girl turned her body toward him. "Are you saying you're _okay_ with failing a mission? It doesn't bug you one bit? Not even that that little girl's life is on the line?"

"She was annoying. You're sore because the only person that fawns over you more than yourself is gone, 'Prince.' Don't act like you really care for her."

Shouta interjected then, hands in his pockets as he leaned in. "Come on, both of you, stop it. Dude, annoying or not, we were supposed to protect her. As shinobi, out personal feelings aren't supposed to get in the way." He turned to face Ao. "Even if the reasoning is a little selfish." Then, he looked at Sakura. "Sakura-sensei, are we absolutely sure that that's our only option?"

The pink-haired ninja opened her mouth, but quickly closed it. She looked into the determined eyes of her young students, one by one by one. Oto was even humoring her by looking in her direction. She looked down, closing her eyes, and pulled something from her pocket: Chiyo's barrette.

"Don't count on it, but she took this off before going to sleep last night. The storm probably washed away her scent, too, it'll be so faint that nin-dogs can't pick it up."

"There are animals with stronger noses than nin-dogs, if so," Ao said, taking the barrette. "We should still try."

**

* * *

**

The Yamanaka Flower Shop was a beautiful place, with a sensuous fragrance that left this little boy gazing at all of the flowers and arrangements in wonder. In his opinion, nearly everything smelled the same and looked to be of the same elegance.

He sighed. The types of flowers had different numbers of petals, leaves, shapes of the petals and leaves; the arrays of colors were different; a flower could have thorns or no thorns; the shape of the flower itself, and how it grew classified plants as different, but to him, everything looked the same.

Scratching the back of his blond, spiked hair, he lowered his head, a hint of red flushing his slightly chubby cheeks. His eyes were cerulean blue and pupiless, with a loose lock of hair hovering over his left eye. He wore a long-sleeved shirt that was dark blue on one side and cerulean on the other and grey shorts. Blue zori completed the rig.

Now, while everything looked the same and pretty to him, he realized that did not matter as much as it did that the person he wanted to obtain it for liked it.

A woman with long blonde hair, the same light color as his and sharing his eyes, came up on his left, bending so her face was level beside his; her bangs were mostly swept back, but a part of it hung in front of her face, near her right eye. She let her hair run across a purple dress-clad back. It was a turtleneck that bared her shoulders and the trim of the dress reached toward the end of her thigh. Fishnet tights covered from there to just below her knees. She was also donned in normal ninja equipment, her hitaiate around her stomach, but it was covered by a yellow apron.

"Something I can help you with, Taro-kun?" Ino asked.

Akimichi Taro lifted his head and turned it to look her in the face. She was smiling cheerfully, but he was a little embarrassed. "Mom. . . ."

"You've never really spared the flowers much of a glance, before," she prodded. Gently, she nudged him with her elbow and winked. "Does my wittle boy have his fiwst cwush?"

The blush on Taro's face deepened. "M-mom! Don't say it like that!"

She pouted. "Aww, because you turned seven I can't baby-talk you anymore?" He shook his head vigorously, turning it into a red and blonde blur. "Okay, okay. . . ." Smiling, she kneeled, more at his level, and put her hands on his shoulders from behind, leaning into him lightly. "So, who is it? Someone from your class?"

"Mooooom," he groaned, leaning away from her and shrugging his shoulders from her grip.

She frowned. "Why not? I can keep a secret!"

"Me too, that's why I'm not tellin'."

The older blonde twitched. _Where the heck did that come from? He's hanging around Shikamaru's kid too much._ "But Taro—" She paused and blinked when a little bell on the door tinkled with a customer's entrance. Over her shoulder, she saw Sai standing in the doorway, and smiled. Quickly, she rose, but stayed bent in order to keep her words exclusive to Taro."Try a yellow daffodil. They're over there." She stood fully. "Take it slow. The daffodil, especially when yellow, symbolizes friendship."

Taro had grinned and looked in the direction she had indicated, but then looked back at her, raising a brow. "Cymbal-eyes-es?"

"The yellow daffodil means friendship."

"Oh!" He proceeded with hastened excitement toward the named flower. "Thanks Mom!"

Ino smiled in return and then twisted to face Sai, who was near the sales counter, appearing to be regarding the packets of seed assorted on the wall. Walking toward his back, she greeted, "Hi, something on your mind?"

The black-haired man turned toward her. There was no smile, real nor fabricated, on his face, but a look of solemnity. If she looked even closer, she would see a dash of fear and apprehension. These emotions, however, were as concealed as ink on black paper, so she did not detect them. "Close . . . someone."

The corners of Ino's mouth slid down. "Who?"

"Uchiha Sasuke," he replied. Her eyes averted from his face. In continuation, he said, "He's back, you know."

"Of course I know," she said, picking up a watering can. Silently, she walked over to the sink and filled it up, staring at it with eyes more serious than necessary.

Sai followed a little, taking only a step. When the can was full, she turned off the faucet, and there was a pause. "You want to know how this will affect you and Krystal."

He nodded. "Yes."

"Well . . . it should bother you. She hasn't been very eager to marry you as it is and her son _really_ doesn't like you, at all. Technically, since he never died, she's still married to him, too. The bond between them . . . she stayed in love with him even after he abandoned Konoha in our teen years." She blushed. "Back then, I remember my feelings wavering between Sasuke, you, Chouji . . . for teen hormones, and for it to be carried on into womanhood, that's commitment."

Placing a hand on her cheek, she realized warmth filled them and turned away from Sai, picking up the watering can. Acting like the blush had not appeared, she watered plants. "It took her awhile to begin looking for someone else after she learned about Sasuke's death. Three or four years. You and Krystal have been together for almost one. It's always hardest, letting go of your first."

She hesitated, checking that her face was no longer hot and twisted to look at him. "Sorry, Sai, but . . . the odds aren't in your favor."

Sai brooded, dipping his gaze to the flower shop's floor. "Right. . . ." Not offering another word, he swivelled and quickly made for the exit of the store. The bell on the door tinkled when he opened it and rang with extreme violence when he threw the door closed.

"Sai!" Ino called, turning swiftly; water swished out of the watering can, spilling onto the floor and her feet. She set the can down and moved to chase after him when she glanced over at Taro, seeing a compilation of daffodils the size of his torso collected in his arms. "Taro! Take one—less is more! Watch the shop while I'm gone!"

"Okay, Mom," replied the bundle of joy carrying a bundle of flowers as his mother ran from the shop.

**

* * *

**

_Her touch on his face was tender, tracing beneath his eyes with a cool ointment. She was silent, wearing a hard expression; from what he could depict, it was Hyuuga eyes that belonged to the person whom had not taken very kindly to their first meeting._

_While she wiped the stuff on a bruise or two that she had caused, Sai lowered his eyes a little, taking in the sight of her body. A mint green hoodie covered over voluptuous breasts, ending mid-ribcage and had three-quarter sleeves with white clouds surrounded by silver circles on either arm. Toned abs were covered by fishnets. She had hips, but they were not quite wide enough to match her bust, and were covered by dark blue capris._

_He looked back up to her face and gave a smile. "Your breasts are well-endowed. But it's likely your hips are too small for sex appeal. Seems the genetic pool cheated you."_

_Krystal frowned. "Do you want another bruise to match your other ones?"_

_"I'm still wondering what I did to deserve the other ones," Sai replied. He had a black Konoha hitaiate tied around his forehead, and the shirt he wore bared his stomach. One sleeve was long and the other was short. Black, fingerless gloves covered his hands, and he wore dark capris._

_The kunoichi withdrew her hand for a moment, looking away. "You didn't. It was a mistake. I . . . thought you were someone else . . . someone I used to know." She dipped her finger into the ointment and applied it with more force than before on a different bruise on his other cheek. He winced and bit his tongue. "It's your own fault for looking like him. Seems the genetic pool cheated __**you.**__"_

_"You wouldn't think so if you saw it—"_

_A red hand print now adorned his shocked countenance. He had a hand over that spot and wide eyes. Krystal glowered, hands on her hips, and asked, "Do you have to be so vulgar?" There was no response, and she crossed her arms. "Look—Sai?—sorry for the mistake, hitting you in the face and all, but if you're going to be like this, you're not going to survive being on Team Kakashi."_

**

* * *

**

Outside of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, Ino checked both directions Sai could have taken and ran when she caught sight of his back. She had seen him just in time, for he did not stay on the streets long, and vaulted onto a roof. She followed, picking up her pace to close the distance.

"Sai! Don't do anything rash!" the blonde called. "Get back here!"

He continued to run. From the roof a small restaurant, he hopped onto the wall of a tall building—quite possibly apartments—and scaled up the side. Ino exerted more chakra than needed to follow; it boosted her speed, since she worked it correctly. By the time he had jumped over a white railing that surrounded the roof, she was almost right behind him.

In the center of the wide, flat surface, he stopped abruptly. She halted a few steps behind, intently staring at his back whereas the wind softly disturbed their loose features. Complete and utter silence, until Ino cautiously spoke Sai's name.

The frown on his face fabricated into a smile, and he faced her. "Yes, Ino?"

She spoke as if he were still frowning. "There's still a chance that she might pick you. The story is different now than it was when we were teenagers. You're not the same guy, you've experienced emotions and have an unempty smile. TWICE, he's disappeared, then come back, but this time, she's with you. She was never with someone before Sasuke—he's pretty much the only one. But now . . . it's different.

"If you try fighting Sasuke right now for the right to be with her, especially when she's not here and doesn't know he's ALIVE, you'd be dropped automatically. She'll see it like you don't trust her to make a decision, herself. . . . Don't do it."

She eyed him warily, still, almost pleading with him. There was no great urgency in her tone, very little desperation. Sai, for a long time, did not respond; he was quite frozen in that stance, smiling with that infamously fake smile.

"Is that what you thought I was going to do?" he asked. "I was only going to the library."

Ino's lack of relief was evident in the shape of her non-existent grin. "I know you haven't dealt with something this complicated, but . . . you're not going to find the answer in a book. You have to see it play out."

". . . ."

"Okay. I've got to go back to my shop."

**

* * *

**

_She saw Sai sitting on the stone bench with his notebook and pen. Behind him was green shrubbery and trees that were separated from the road and Sai's bench by a stone column surrounding it; the bench was just in front of that column, close enough to be a backrest, should he so have chosen._

_Krystal smiled a little; the light touched his skin provocatively, leaving a light shadow under his concentrated brow. He did not appear to break concentration even when she proceeded to sit by him._

_The drawing in his notebook was a rose, one of impossible beauty, with perfectly curled petals. It looked so real, one would expect a soft caress, yet so delicate, that one was wary of breaking it. Krystal momentarily took her eyes away, looking in the area before them, but there was no flower in sight. She looked back at the drawing again._

_"You've drawn a rose that well from memory?" she asked softly._

_Her sudden vocalization did not startle him; his hand was still steady and smooth as he brushed the pen's tip down the page for the stem of the rose. At one point on the right, he interrupted the line and continued after a small space, left open for a leaf to be drawn._

_"Not all roses look the same," he replied. "And the steps to drawing them are quite simple, once you know them. I'm not drawing a particular rose from memory, and I've been a bit loose with the steps."_

_"All the same, I think it's very pretty."_

_A smile tugged at his porcelain lips. "I hope so. You were my muse."_

_Krystal's smile disappeared, slightly taken aback, as her eyes went from his drawing to his profile. Her lips were slightly parted. It was moments before she spoke again, and her tone seemed to be near annoyance. "Sai . . . for the last time, I'm not going out with you."_

_"I didn't ask you, yet," he said lightly._

_She frowned. "Keyword: 'yet.' But you are, aren't you? Sai—"_

_He turned his head toward her, silently gazing at her in such a way that Krystal stopped talking, but allowed her mouth to stay open slightly, forgetting her words. She had stared into his eyes, and beneath the plain blackness, which she had expected, she saw something. This man, who when she met as a teen had not the slightest clue of true emotions or relationships of human kind._

_She was perplexed. When she had first been coming to know him as he joined Team Kakashi, he was someone with an abrasive lack of personality and understanding of people. All of his emotions were false, fabrications from literature he read on sociology, and had not helped him in making friends._

_Then, once he gained incentive, he read more and tried harder, despite that Sakura and Krystal told him that he could not learn about such things from books, that he had to experience them for himself. He would take the things he learned from books and apply them to situations in his real life, not quite gaining a favorable outcome, but through that experience, he did learn._

_Now, years and years later, she could swear that there was something real in his eyes, but she could not translate what it was. His eyes used to be empty, pools of ink, but there was definitely some mystery within them, presently. Like they were now just part of the marking on a page._

_". . . why me?" she finally asked, feeling the slightest warmth rush to her face._

_He smiled. "I heard roses were your favorite. And now, I can see that it's the perfect flower for you." In regard to the picture, he added, "This one in particular."_

_Krystal looked down from his face to the drawing again. Her right hand fidgeted with the wedding band on her left hand, finger next to the pinky. That one had a few slivers of ruby made into the design of a rose, like it was etched into the ring. "Don't say because I'm beautiful, it wouldn't be very original. More like something read in a __**book.**__"_

_His eyes widened a little and blinked in mild shock. Quickly, he regained composure. "That was going to be one reason, but not the only one." He pointed to the curve of the bud. "This represents the curve of your smile, two cusps of succulence to which no man could resist succumbing." Then, the curl of the petals, at which some parts point. "This is you . . . soft, delicate, tender . . . but then you become defensive, appearing sharp, dangerous, yet in reality, still fragile." Next, he went to the center. "You heart is surrounded by walls—"_

_"Poems, I bet." There was a harder blush on her face. "You've been reading poems, lately, and that's how you can come up with this." She stood. "Well let me tell you . . . my husband died a few years ago, so I am hesitant about dating. I have two kids. And everything you're saying can be pretty much found in one book or another. My son can draw pictures, too. I'm unimpressed."_

_"But it's not from a book," he stated calmly. "I looked. Nothing fit right. Nothing was 'you.'" He stood next to her, close enough that his chest nearly touched the back of her shoulder. "But for this rose, I didn't need to find the flower itself." His mouth moved toward her earlobe, gently breathing warm air onto it. "All I needed . . . was to think of you."_

_Goose bumps chilled her skin. She felt her eyes had grown wide, staring ahead of her, and there was a profound awareness of the intimacy of his presence. No sound would produce itself from her, even as she felt and heard movement of hands. The next thing she knew, the rose from Sai's notebook had appeared into reality, an outline of black against the scene as he placed it into her hand to hold._

_As the bloom had blossomed from the page, she realized the one blossomed in her heart, as well. She looked at it with normal eyes, gently narrowed in a pleasant way as they were shadowed by her eyelashes. A tiny smile hinted her visage and she took her hand to gently brush her fingertips against the ink petals._

_"Careful," he said. "She's fragile. Touch to hard, she'll just be a pool of ink."_

_Krystal closed her mouth in a smile and twisted, lifting her chin so she was angled to meet Sai. He was closer than anticipation had led her to believe. Instead of breaking into a blush of a million hues, like she might have in her teen years, there was only one, and her heart was all aflutter. She smiled a little and raised her hand to cup his cheek._

_"Okay. I'll go out with you."_

**

* * *

**

In present Britain, Krystal sat on the grand, refined, unbelievably comfortable bed she had been given as a personal guest to the charming Lord of the castle. Her back rested against a collection of plush pillows, and she was dressed down for bed in a lavendar nightgown. She had her legs drawn up beneath the blankets.

"Do I love him enough to . . . marry him . . .?" she softly wondered aloud. Sai's engagement ring was held between her thumb and index finger, a silver band with one simple diamond. She was eyeing it with mixed emotions. The extent of how mixed they were became more evident as she took the ring and slipped it onto the special finger of her left hand.

She raised her hand in front of her, watching the diamond sparkled in the lamp light. It was a beautiful jewel, one not too modest and not too ornate, that any woman would be proud to wear. Krystal sighed and removed it from her finger, leaning over to set it on the bedside table. She rummaged into her kunai pouch, momentarily, and then leaned into the bed, changing her position to lay as her hand slipped on the ring she had been given the day she married Sasuke.

Looking at it, she wondered, "Six years . . . is that too fast to marry someone else . . . ?" In frustration, she lifted her other hand in a fist, and brought it straight back down to punch the bed; it only absorbed the shock, did not distribute it. "Dammit Sai! Why did you have to ask me to marry you?"

She leaned back over the table and shut off the lamp before laying on her side, bringing the blankets over her shoulder. It also hid her face, partially, only showing pained eyes. Sliding her hand out from beneath the blanket, she looked at Sasuke's ring again, sadly. "What if . . . Sasuke didn't want me to move on . . .?"

**

* * *

**

A group of three people traveled through the thicket, jumping on the branches. Two appeared to have female figures whereas the third, by its build, was almost certainly male. Him and the female with a braid were behind a woman with thick, short hair, forming a triangle. All wore masks.

The female with the braid slipped on a branch, falling forward until the man caught her wrist, mustering enough chakra to stay on the slippery, damp wood. He helped her to stand.

The leader of the masked trio stopped and turned. "Be careful, Washi. These branches are still wet from last night's storm," she warned in a deep voice.

Washi's eyes frowned. "Why did we have to spread the storm so far, anyway? It'd be some miracle that they find a way to track us. No scent, no footprints. . . . Was it necessary for you to be so thorough?"

The man spoke up. "Yes. We'll reach the end of what was the storm's radius soon enough, however. Let's move. We need to take the target back to Yuri-sama."

The leader nodded. "I think Yuri-sama will be very pleased, the sooner we get there." She took off, hopping amongst the branches with Washi and the unnamed male not far behind. On the leader's waist, tied by a red string, was a small wooden knick-knack of a young girl in a blue kimono, wearing an expression of serene sleep, with black hair and orange eyes.

**End of Chapter Six**

Next Time on .:Violets are Blue:.!! Chapter Seven: Boy With a Crush

He was short, for a village leader, mostly because he was quite young. At the age of eleven, his hair was colorless, scruffy as it shaped around his head and over his brow. His eyebrows were just as white, since it was not a matter of bleach, but natural. Stoic lilac eyes blended significantly with his pale skin.

Over a black turtleneck with long-sleeves, he wore an elegant, green, kimono-style shirt, loose enough in the collar that a lot of his chest would have been exposed. The sleeves were also loose, ending on the biceps, and lined with a lighter green. His obi was silver, the same as his pants, which were tucked into the black zori on his shins. The sleeves of his turtleneck were long, ending at his wrist, and there were light blue prayer beads hanging around his neck.

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**Thanks for reading, everybody!! Please, leave a review! Also, I have a poll on my profile :) SaiXKrystal? Or SasukeXKrystal?**


	7. Boy With a Crush

Recappy from the Last Chappy: Washi's eyes frowned. "Why did we have to spread the storm so far, anyway? It'd be some miracle that they find a way to track us. No scent, no footprints. . . . Was it necessary for you to be so thorough?"

The man spoke up. "Yes. We'll reach the end of what was the storm's radius soon enough, however. Let's move. We need to take the target back to Yuri-sama."

The leader nodded. "I think Yuri-sama will be very pleased, the sooner we get there." She took off, hopping amongst the branches with Washi and the unnamed male not far behind. On the leader's waist, tied by a red string, was a small wooden knick-knack of a young girl in a blue kimono, wearing an expression of serene sleep, with black hair and orange eyes.

**Chapter Seven: Boy With a Crush**

"I'm sorry, but I can't catch her scent past here," spoke Pakkun; he was the nin-dog brought forth by the Summoning Jutsu, chestnut brown with darker shades around his muzzle and long ears. He was a small pug, wearing an open blue vest, Konoha hitaiate, and bandages on the ankles of his front paws.

Team Sakura stood around him near the entrance of the hotel. Ao, on one knee at his level, frowned. "Are you sure, Pakkun? Nothing?"

The dog nodded. "My nose ain't what it used to be, sweetheart. A stronger nose might be able to pick it up, but I can't. Try—"

His nose twitched. A strong breeze was blowing from the North, rustling grass, leaves, hair, clothing, and fur. He raised his nose, closed his eyes, and took a deep sniff. He opened his eyes. "South. The wind's blowing her scent this way."

Ao smirked and stood. "Thanks, Pakkun! Lead the way!"

"One moment," Sakura said. She dug into her pouch and pulled out two headsets. "I'm going to stay back for some recon, see if I can find anything out about the kidnappers. I'll relay anything I find out to you through the headsets." One of them, she handed to Shouta. "Shouta, you're going to be the leader while I'm back here, so you get the headset. I want quarterly reports."

The brunette nodded and smiled, donning the headset. "Of course, Sakura-sensei."

Ao pursed her lips, scowling at both him and Sakura, but it went unnoticed.

Sakura donned her headset. "Okay. Stay together. Contact me if you face any trouble."

"Yes, Sakura-sensei!" they chorused.

**

* * *

**

The boy stood at the window of his room, overlooking his village. It was simple, with arrays of buildings—mostly the houses of his people—with a stream running through; small wooden bridges made it so people could conveniently pass onto either side of the divided village, although the water of the stream was in fact only shallow enough to submerge one's feet. The village was in a gorge, surrounded by stone. Far off, was an opening in the rock with a wooden-log gate.

He was short, for a village leader, mostly because he was quite young. At the age of eleven, his hair was colorless, scruffy as it shaped around his head and over his brow. His eyebrows were just as white, since it was not a matter of bleach, but natural. Stoic lilac eyes blended significantly with his pale skin.

Over a black turtleneck with long-sleeves, he wore an elegant, green, kimono-style shirt, loose enough in the collar that a lot of his chest would have been exposed. The sleeves were also loose, ending on the biceps, and lined with a lighter green. His obi was silver, the same as his pants, which were tucked into the black zori on his shins. The sleeves of his turtleneck were long, ending at his wrist, and there were light blue prayer beads hanging around his neck.

In the distance, as he toyed with the beads, he saw the gates to his village open, and he moved his head up a little; his emotionless expression was unchanged.

A moment later, a young woman entered the room, a wavy-haired brunette with cunning brown eyes. The cut was just above her shoulders, and there was a part in her bangs that showed three dots, like points of a triangle, colored a light blue on her forehead. "Yuri-sama . . . Kanae, Suoh, and Washi have returned through the gates, and will be here shortly.

Yuri blinked, a faint pink coming to his cheeks. "Are they alone?"

"That's currently unknown. The daughter of the Fire Country's Daimyo may be with them, she may not be. Kanae always carried her targets specially." She waited for a response, but did not receive one. "Is there anything else you want me to do?"

". . . ." The blush disappeared from his face. "I have caught wind of your true actions, pertaining your last mission. Ichi . . . they lead me to question your loyalty to me, and this village."

Ichi swallowed, scowling uneasily. Her mouth was a straight line. "Rest in my assurance that those are simply false. I am, always have been, and always will be, loyal. Where did these accusations come from?"

"I know she's lying. I'm not dupable, not by a bad a liar as her," he said to someone Ichi could not see. He then addressed her. "Unimportant. You're a traitor." He heard Ichi's guilty grunt as she took a step back. "For months, you've been feeding info to the ninja of Hoshigakure. You'll be surprised to know that info was fake."

She gasped minutely. Her eyes widened, and sweat began to accumulate at the back of her head and on her temples. Realizing what fate was soon to overcome her, she took a step back, toward the door, but it shut by some invisible force before she could exit. The occurrence made her jump and yelp.

Yuri turned to face her, releasing his necklace of prayer beads. He raised that hand, forming a two-fingered sign. "Yes, it does suck that it's come to this. She was one of the ones I liked. Well . . . now I'll be able to keep her _spirit_ closer to me."

Ichi's eyes looked like they were going to shoot from her head, whereas the dots on her forehead began to glow white. "No—NO! Yuri-sama, please—!"

His face expressed no mercy. "It's too late. You should be holding onto your dignity. Don't worry about going to heaven or hell. . . ." He watched as she suddenly went still, and limply fell to the ground. The three glowing points on her forehead projected from her and converged, sailing over to a bead on his necklace, which also glowed white. "You'll be serving me instead."

He let her body lay on the carpet of the master bedroom, turning to face the window again. The light of his bead began to dull, until it was completely extinguished. It now held a similarity to a number of beads on the necklace; it seemed to have a constant, swirling substance within.

The door opened again, but it was two females and a male that entered the room; all three wore masks. In his presence, they all pulled the cloth down, revealing their solemn visages. They crouched in a triangle formation, heads bowed. They did not pay mind to Ichi's body.

"Yuri-sama," the one closest to him called. She had the same eye and skin color as Yuri, yet her hair was chestnut brown, short and thick. Beneath her bangs, the same blue markings as Ichi were present, her red-painted lips formed an almost-straight line. She wore a tight, short-sleeved, dark purple shirt beneath a padded grey vest, and a black skirt over fishnets tights that led into black, knee-high zori.

He turned to face them. "Kanae. Suoh. Washi. Success or failure?"

The man and woman in the back, Suoh and Washi, rose and stepped back. Suoh was on the left, scruffy orange hair spanning not far from his head. His blue eyes stared forward, into space. A padded grey vest, like Kanae's, was over a muscular chest and short-sleeved black tee. Baggy black pants were tucked into dark zori at the knee, armor covered his forearms, and on the left arm, a blade skimmed the flank.

Washi, on the right, had the same flaming hair color as a braid trailing down her back and sharp, pretty blue eyes with long eyelashes. Her bangs parted over the sides of her face, partly over her eyes, and she was also branded with the three-pointed mark. She wore a brown, short-sleeved turtleneck with a medium-sized collar and a large zipper down the front. Her arms and ankles were bandaged, though black zori also covered her shins and blue jeans tucked into them.

Kanae took a little wooden figurine from her waist, setting it on the wooden flooring. Silently, she performed a string of hand signs while Yuri faced them, and tapped the figurine on the top of its head. She stood back as the figure was consumed in a cloud of smoke.

Chiyo's form sleeping was revealed, when the smoke cleared. She was on her side, dreaming contentedly, completely oblivious to her situation. Gently, she was inhaling and exhaling, not in an obnoxious, snoring fashion, but a faintly audible sound, as her acherontic locks delicately sprawled behind her.

Yuri felt his face grow hot as he walked a few paces closer to her, arms at his sides. He could feel his palms begin to sweat. "Wake her."

"We can't," Kanae responded. "She's under a sedative of some kind. We could give her something to wake her up, but considering the length of time it took for us to return after her capture, she should awaken soon."

He stopped in front of Chiyo. _She looks so peaceful . . .,_ he thought. "Let her sleep." Silently, he knelt on one knee, and picked Chiyo up like a groom would his bride. The boy was careful as he carried her over to his bed, which was king-sized. He pulled the sheets over her, since she shivered.

For minutes, he stood at her bedside, silently watching as she slept. Kanae, Suoh, and Washi stood, awaiting their dismissal. "Go away. And take out the trash while you're at it."

**

* * *

**

Three knives were planted into the bulls' eyes on the center post of three, thrown precisely by a young brunette kunoichi-in-training. She was still in the stance she had been in to throw them, and her lavendar-white byakugan eyes lit up as she victoriously jumped up and down. Dressed in a pink Chinese-style shirt and blue shorts, hair done up in twin buns, she turned toward two people sitting not far away.

"Mom! Did you see that? Did you see that?! I got them all in the center!"

The woman she had addressed sat on the grass nearby, next to Sasuke. She was also brunette, wearing her hair up in twin buns, as well. Her bangs parted above brown eyes to show the Konoha symbol on her hitaiate. The white Chinese-style shirt she wore with red-violet tabs and lining was sleeveless, fitting a trim waist, and she wore loose pants of a color matching the lining of her shirt. Feminine ninja sandals completed the garb.

Tenten clapped for her daughter. "Good job, Tenji! Keep it up!"

"Yes!" The little one happily ran forward to collect her knives from the target, grinning widely. The first two were easy to pull out, since they punctured shallowly, but the third was tough. She had to tug hard, straining, leaning as far back as she could. Her hands were slipping off of the knife, but simultaneously, the blade very slowly slipped from the wood.

She felt something whistle past her left ear, just as she finished pulling the weapon out of the tree. Another knife replaced it as she fell down onto her back.

"Tenji!" Tenten shouted as she stood. Quickly, she started to run over, but Tenji sat up, twisted, and smiled, assuring her mother that she was alright. The girl stood up and looked at the boy who had thrown the kunai that had nearly hit her.

Hatsumomo's mouth hung open in awe and appeared remorseful. "I'm so sorry, Tenji-chan! I meanted to throwed it at that post!" His finger pointed at the post with a target in front of him. There was one kunai in the outermost ring, one far below it, and half of the blade protruded from the top of the post, precariously, of another.

"Didn't you hear the safe rules?" she demanded, putting her fists on her lips. "'No throwing knives when someone else is trying to get their knives back!"

"I'm sorry!"

Tenten watched them in relief, placing a hand over her heart as it slowed back down to a normal pace. She returned to the Hero's Memorial Stone, sitting next to Sasuke. He had his knees raised with his elbows resting on them as he scowled.

_My son . . . doesn't like the Academy . . . and is a terrible ninja_, he thought to himself, trying to digest the unthinkable. At this age, he could understand ones near the rim of the target, and pardon the one not far from it on the post, but the other target on the other post, he could not fathom. Even with a dislike for the facility, he should not be as maladroit.

Tenten leaned against a tree with her legs straight out, keeping an eye on the pair of training students. "Six years ago—coming near seven—your name was carved into that stone. A stone for ninja that were killed in action. Weird, huh?"

For a moment, Sasuke took his eyes off of his son and moved them over to the K.I.A stone. "Doesn't seem so. 'Uchiha Sasuke' was dead to the world."

"So it's like he's been resurrected."

"Yes."

"Hmm." She cocked her head, continuing to watch, a pink smile crossed her face as Tenji made another bull's eye. "Sometimes I wonder if she's taking after me, or her dad. She's top of her class in taijutsu and weaponry. She began developing her byakugan early, for a member of the Branch Family."

Sasuke's eyes returned to Hatsumomo. The blonde was collecting his kunai as Tenji reacquired hers. He was discouraged to see that his son's kunai were far from the mark whilst Tenten's daughter's were all on the target, or a bull's eye.

Tenten continued, "Because of that, she also got the Hyuuga curse a year earlier than most, at three." The bandages on Tenji's forehead were brought to attention. "There was nothing Neji could do. Luckily, she hasn't had to live the horrors of it. But, it could be suppressing her potential, a little; that's why I stress marksmanship.

"But . . . Neji tells me Hatsu-kun dodged that shurikon." It was noted that even when Hatsumomo's forehead was visible, no Hyuuga Cursed Seal had been evident. "Krystal wouldn't have it. Said he had 'Uchiha' as a family name, not 'Hyuuga'—the rules of the Hyuuga Clan did not apply to him. Lucky."

He continued watching his son. . . . 'His son.' "My son. . . ."

The brunette tilted her head upright and turned to face him. "You don't believe it?"

His expression did not change. "It's hard to. He looks nothing like me. He acts nothing like me. I didn't know she was pregnant when I left."

She hesitated. "The date Hatsu-kun was born was around nine months after you left. She . . . found out about the pregnancy probably minutes before she was told 'Uchiha Sasuke' died." Her eyes went from being averted, back to his face. "And . . . she wasn't with anyone until about two years ago."

Sasuke's back straightened, and he gave her his complete attention; his round, scowling eyes met her own expression of minute shock. _"What?"_

She blinked. "Hm? I thought you knew. . . ."

No response.

"Well . . . there wasn't much, just dates . . . she didn't have anyone longer than a few meetings until that one guy for a couple months. . . . Then about a year ago, she began dating her current boyfriend . . . Sai."

The shadows of his face darkened dangerously, leaving Tenten breathless and speechless. Soon, however, someone arrived and called her name, diverting her attention. "Tenten-sensei!"

She turned her head, seeing a daffodil in front of her face held by a blue-eyed, plump, blond boy. A blush had blossomed on Taro's cheeks as he bashfully folded his other arm behind himself. "Um . . . Taro-san. What is it?"

His smile faltered a little, becoming a little discouraged. "A daffodil! My mom said they mean friendship. I wanted to give you a whole bunch, but she didn't let me. She said 'less is more.' . . . Don'ya like it?"

She smiled nervously, accepting the flower. _I get it that it's just a kid-crush, but . . . how do you handle it?_ "Yes, of course I like it . . . thank you. Did your mom know you mean to give it to me?"

"Nope! It's _secret_—don't tell her, okay?"

"I . . . understand."

Taro grinned cheesily. "All right! I gotta go, Tenten-sensei—," he giggled, "—bye!" He ran away, saying, "She like my flower!" loud enough for everyone present to hear.

Tenten continued to look at the daffodil for a few moments; it was a pretty distraction from the scowling man beside her, and it in truth was very sweet. She no longer felt his eyes on her, but did not feel up to looking at him yet after dropping a bomb like that on him. To him, it was like Krystal was committing adultery; bombs like that are bound to burn.

Since Sasuke had been alive, however, Krystal technically had.

Through her peripheral vision, she saw Sasuke stand and begin to walk away. She stood, too, and opened her mouth, but shut it when she realized that he was walking toward his son. He took a kunai and presented how to throw it properly, stoic with the exception of a scowl.

The brunette swallowed. Sweat had begun accumulating beneath her headband as the hair stood on the back of her neck. Sasuke was radiating bloodlust, but he acted calmly. He was probably calculating his next move, debating the plan of his confrontation.

_Oh boy. . . ._

**

* * *

**

The surface that she laid upon was much softer than she remembered falling asleep. Perhaps the angle of her head had changed, too; was she on two pillows, or three? She opened her eyes a little, seeing blurs of colors including greens, silver, white, and light blue.

Opening them wider, the shapes of those colors became more defined, until she made out the torso of a young boy with authority. She tilted her head so that she could see his face; he was unrecognized. Quickly, she rolled away from him, making the blanket unravel itself from around her, and stood on the side opposite of him.

Yuri observed her with the lightest blush on his cheeks. Chiyo was scowling at him strongly, orange eyes ablaze, with the slightest bit of sweat dewing on her brow. "I know she's scared . . . I can read it in her aura."

Chiyo grunted, taking a minuscule step back as her scowl deepened. "I'm . . . not scared. . . . I'm angry."

"I sense that, too."

Silence commenced as he stared at her, completely stoic but for pink cheeks and minutely parted lips. Eerie, luminous, lilac eyes just _stared_ at her, and she did not understand what type of stare it was. It did not give away much emotion; she was not scared or disgusted by it . . . it was not of lust, either. . . .

Her brow lifted when she momentarily caught his eyes give way to adoration, and felt more flaming color add itself to her face, a deep red on her cheeks. She shook it off, reverting to a controlled, dignified expression.

"What are your plans for me? Death? Ransom? Everybody knows that's what happens when someone is kidnapped . . . commonly with a person related to someone with money or power. I'm thinking ransom, by your age."

"I have money. My people and I live cozy lives," Yuri replied. "I don't want you dead, either, Chiyo."

She was distrusting. "I don't know you. Don't say my name without an honorific."

A soft smile crossed his lips that seemed a smidgen despondent. "Sorry, Chiyo-hime. My name is Yuri, Lord of the Creek Village." Slowly, testing her caution, he began walking around the bed, never taking those eyes off of her. "But, to you, Chiyo-hime, I would just be a boy with a crush."

Chiyo's eyes further widened and she stepped back, her face turning a deeper red. The moment she had stepped away, Yuri stopped in his tracks. "Wha . . . what? **CRUSH?!**"

His smile disappeared, replaced with something more like a minuscule shock. "Yes. I've seen you at festivals . . . and have found you to be very easy on the eyes. . . . I want to know you. And maybe . . . some day you can become my bride. A Lord should have a wife."

She swallowed. "So you kidnapped me? You couldn't—you couldn't deal with my parents? Like a NORMAL suitor? How stupid that your village could let a kid that makes decisions like this become Lord! I want to return home immediately."

He took a large step toward her. "No! Please don't go. . . . I can give you anything you want, here, with me. . . . Give me a chance."

But the girl stood her ground. "If you can give me anything I want, you can release me." She received no response. "Then leave me. Let me . . . adjust."

". . . ." The boy nodded and began his procession toward the door; he appeared dignified, with his shoulders back and back straight. He stopped in front of the door and raised his head, as if listening. "Yes . . . I hope she starts liking it here, too."

The door closed behind him, but Chiyo was sure that she had not seen a hand anywhere near to help it.

Embers of her eyes soon were being doused by tears as she hugged herself, gently rubbing her arms. She pursed her lips. Anger was a strong emotion in the forefront of her heart, but it was also accompanied by disappointment, anxiety, and gloom. Never had she even heard of a place called "Creek Village," she had no idea where she was.

Where was her prince? Was he not supposed to have saved her from this scenario? Naturally, she had been correct! ANBU would only be able to handle this; obviously, her prince had lied to her in many ways. There was greater doubt now that Ao was ANBU whereas Chiyo was completely sure of the incompetence of Konoha ninja.

How could she have been kidnapped in a room with four shinobi?

She was enclosed in complete silence as she walked toward the bed and climbed on the end. The girl crawled across, toward the head, and laid on her side, close to a fetal position. Ashamedly, she pulled the blanket to wrap herself in a small cocoon.

In the cocoon, she regressed, finding solace under the comforter, but knew she would exit the chrysalis as a refined and dignified as a butterfly.

**

* * *

**

Light strumming of a light wooden acoustic guitar filled that section of the outer halls with a lovely melody as Yuuta played the said instrument. He sang no lyric with the music, aiming his eyes at the cloudy sky, smile on his face. The day was beautiful in Konoha, with white clouds.

Annora bounced down the hall, wearing an outfit more accommodating to the chill. Her garb consisted of a lavendar turtleneck, a denim skirt, and high black boots. Behind her husband, she stopped, turned, and bent over until her face was near Yuuta's cheek.

Gently, she rocked, taking a moment to listen to his playing. "Liking the music. Is there a lyric?"

He continued playing, but lowered his visage. "No, just having some fun."

She grinned, "Well . . . I have something you'll want to see," and kissed his cheek, bringing the smile his face to widen. His playing stopped as she lowered her lips, kissing the hinge of his jaw. "But I might need some coaxing before I give it up."

The brunette set aside his guitar and turned, twisting to meet her mouth with his. He brought up his left hand to cup her cheek, a delicate kiss that started the embers of their excitement. Deepening the kiss, he cradled the back of her head. Annora felt light as her mind clouded and her knees became weak, and those pleasured embers grew.

Regretfully, the kiss was released, as both found themselves needing air. Remorseful feelings did not long linger, however, since they quickly returned for a few more kisses. On the last, they paused in it, further taking in each other's sweet taste.

Stars were in their eyes when they parted, as Yuuta's thumb stroked her cheek and they rested their foreheads against each other. They closed their eyes. "Did that convince you?" he whispered.

Annora could not help but grin widely as she produced a letter. "H'oh yeah . . . it's nice to know we haven't completely lost our spark."

Yuuta matched her amusement as he took the letter from her. "I agree." He gave her one last peck and turned from her, back to how he had been with the guitar. She sat down next to him, and laid her head on his shoulder. "It's from Krystal-chan."

The letter's content was mostly of highlighted happenings in Britain, particularly of her class. She had discovered young fans of Yuuta and Annora, who constantly sang the couple's songs during free time (quite different in English, she had added.) Also, the accommodations on Britain surpassed par, and it was a blessing that they had instilled the English language in her.

There was also mention of her lamentation to be away from everyone for so long. She would be indeed lonely if Lord Maboroshi was not keeping her company when she was not teaching. "How's everyone doing?" she asked.

"Tell everyone I miss them and can't wait to be home. I already told Maboroshi-sama that after three months, I'm going back home regardless! Give a kiss to Ao-chan and Momo-chan for me, tell them and Sai I love them; love you too, Dad and Annora! (Yes, I'm assuming you're the ones reading this!)

"And if Sai asks . . . tell him that I am thinking about it hard, and haven't come any closer to an answer."

That preceding line made for an awkward pause between the couple, as both pretended to still be reading the letter. Both were thinking the same thing. _If she chooses to marry him, what will she do when she learns Sasuke's alive?_

"Yuuta . . . should we tell her?"

He took awhile to respond. It did not seem right to withhold such significant information from Krystal, but it also did not seem right to give it away in a letter so impersonally. "No. She wouldn't believe it, too much drama over letters."

"Yeah . . . you're right. But then she might get mad at us for not saying."

"But then we wouldn't have to wait to deal with it and stretch it out on paper."

She brought her right hand across her lap and stroked his arm. Randomly, she twisted her head, pecked his shoulder, and looked forward again, leaning against him. "Have I told you today that I love you?"

"No, not today."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

**End of Chapter Seven**

Next Time in .:Violets are Blue:.!! Chapter Eight: Acquaintance and Inheritance

"Yuri-sama. The Gatekeepers have reported seeing four figures in the distance. The leading one is significantly smaller that the other three, possibly a small animal. If they are the ninja previously looking after Chiyo-hime, then . . . we will do at your behest."

Yuri quickly regained his composure, straightening himself. "If it is them, and they want Chiyo-hime back, they can't have her. You, Washi, and Suoh can go there and become 'acquainted' with them . . . try to change their minds."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please, leave a review :D! It gives me something to reply to when I have Writer's Block (evilllllll!!!!) Also, I appreciate hearing from you guys, be they good or bad. . . . Though if you leave a review that's cross and full of things I supposedly messed up on, be sure you know to what you are pertaining :) God bless!**


	8. Acquaintance and Inheritance

Recappy from the Last Chappy: "Yuuta . . . should we tell her?"

He took awhile to respond. It did not seem right to withhold such significant information from Krystal, but it also did not seem right to give it away in a letter so impersonally. "No. She wouldn't believe it, too much drama over letters."

"Yeah . . . you're right. But then she might get mad at us for not saying."

"But then we wouldn't have to wait to deal with it and stretch it out on paper."

She brought her right hand across her lap and stroked his arm. Randomly, she twisted her head, pecked his shoulder, and looked forward again, leaning against him. "Have I told you today that I love you?"

"No, not today."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

**Chapter Eight: Acquaintance and Inheritance**

Embers were becoming a flame re-enkindled in Chiyo's tangerine eyes. Provided by the Creek Village's Lord, she wore an elegant kimono of an emerald sheen with a silver obi. Her hair was pinned up again, at the back of her head, but did not show in ringlets, and her bangs swept across her forehead; the sides brushed passed her temples.

She kneeled on a mat with her hands together in her lap. Opposite of her was Yuri, also kneeling on his own mat. In-between them was a Go board; Chiyo's pieces were black whereas Yuri's were white. Her eyes were on him, while he held his chin and watched the board. An open window by them let in light.

He took his hand from his chin to pick up a piece and set it on the board. Satisfied with that move, he lifted his gaze, meeting her eyes. His stare went from emotionless to perplexed. "Why do you continue to glare at me like that . . .? I told you that I mean no harm."

The girl narrowed her eyes and clicked her tongue. "You're asking? If you don't know, do you even deserve to?" She paused, allowing for him to respond, but he did not. "I've told you I don't want to stay here. But you won't listen."

The corners of his mouth turned for despondent. "But I thought you were adjusting. I thought now you would give Creek Village a chance—that you would give _me_ a chance!" He leaned over the Go board and placed his hand over hers. "Chiyo-hime. . . ."

". . . ." Sweat accumulated on her forehead and temples; her fingers closed over the cloth of her kimono. He was incredibly forward. "Even if I wanted to, it's not that simple. I have duties as the daughter of the Fire Country's Daimyo. I was on my way to the Village Hidden in its Beauty, in the Marsh Country. I have to be there for the Winter Festival. I'm dancing in it!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you go," he said cooly. Blood rushed to his cheeks as his thumb gently stroked her smooth, dainty hand. Her skin was soft, like satin. "We can have a festival here, and you can dance in that."

Abruptly, she stood, throwing Yuri's hands from her. "Stop touching me! I don't want to dance here, I've told you many times I don't even want to _be_ here! Just let me go—if you can't put me back in Konoha's custody, then why not use your own ninja to escort me to the Marsh Country?" She kicked the Go board over, strewing the pieces, and screeched, "AND I HATE GO!!"

A pregnant pause proceeded, as wind gently disturbed their features. Yuri stared at her blankly, still attempting to comprehend. There was a knock at the door, followed by Kanae entering the room. She was unfazed by the sight meeting her as she reported.

"Yuri-sama. The Gatekeepers have reported seeing four figures in the distance. The leading one is significantly smaller that the other three, possibly a small animal. If they are the ninja previously looking after Chiyo-hime, then . . . we will do at your behest."

Yuri quickly regained his composure, straightening himself. "If it is them, and they want Chiyo-hime back, they can't have her. You, Washi, and Suoh can go there and become 'acquainted' with them . . . try to change their minds."

Kanae swallowed, narrowing her eyes. With reluctance, she gave a stiff bow and accepted order. She left the room without another word.

**

* * *

**

Meanwhile, Team Seven was left by Pakkun along the scent trail of Chiyo. They had come past the farthest reaches of the storm, for he no longer required aide from the wind to catch her scent. Their pace, due to that fact, had expedited with Ao nearly passing Pakkun as she proceeded; if she did not need to follow him, she would have. Oto and Shouta were not very far behind, with the latter bringing up the rear.

The blind ninja scowled ahead of him as he concentrated on his hearing meticulously. He kept himself equidistant from his teammates, when all of a sudden, he stopped; he made a small sound of reaction, and listened carefully.

Shouta noticed the abrupt halt and stopped next to Oto. "What is it, Bau?"

A distance ahead of them, Pakkun stopped as he realized the others had, and Ao proceeded paces more before ceasing her procession, as well. She turned and scowled at her teammates. "What's the hold up? Let's go!"

Oto ignored her and answered Shouta. "I'm pretty sure I just heard the brat. It was faint, but not very far. She was screeching something . . . 'I hate Go.'"

"Tch!" Ao scoffed. Her gaze narrowed at Oto as she planted her fists on her hips. "Are you so sure it was hers? Those would be strange words to hear from a nine-year-old little girl that's been kidnapped. Huh, Oto-baka? Besides, we're following scent."

"I identify people by their voices. Chiyo-sama's is pre-pubescent, high-pitched, female, and irritating. But even when she screeches, she's nowhere near as annoying as you, Ao_-teme._ And how would you know? Have you listened in on the conversations between a kidnapper and their victim?"

"Come on, guys, is the name-calling necessary?" Shouta injected. He was ignored by the both of them.

She narrowed her eyes. ". . . no, I haven't. But come on. Voices can easily be faked, there are many girl's voices that fit that profile."

"Hmph! That may be so, but a breathing pattern can't be faked!"

Ao scrunched her face. "What?"

He smirked. "Oh, is that something the great _former_-ANBU didn't know about identification? Sweet." He heard Ao click her tongue. "Everyone takes breaks, pauses, and breaths at different points in their speech; it's not something duplicated in _anyone._ That was definitely the brat that I heard."

Ao narrowed her eyes and her jaw clenched. "So what? What the hell are we hanging around for, anyway? Whatever you heard, it doesn't matter because we'll find her by following Pakkun! Let's GO, already, we're burning daylight. The longer we wait, the closer she comes to death, and the closer the Daimyo or the Hokage come to finding out that we messed up!"

Shouta sighed and laced his fingers behind his head. "She does have a point, we should continue on. At least now we know, for the time being, that she's alive. We have time. Lead the way, Pakkun."

The dog nodded and sniffed the air before running again. Ao followed eagerly, and Oto began running almost as quickly. Shouta looked up, sighed, "Name-calling. Really?" and then ran to his position, so that Oto was equidistant from both of his teammates again. The brunette also turned on his headset and radioed Sakura for his quarterly report on progress.

Ao was in-step with Pakkun, as Chiyo's trail had been along a general direction. She clicked her tongue, scowling with a brow of a worrisome furrow as she wished the pace could be quickened. _Hang in there, Chiyo-sama._

Suddenly, she felt something on her back collar. A voice chimed in by her right ear. **Oh Ao-chaaaaaan! Slow down, please! Methinks I won't be able to hold on much longer! And alack, whilst methinks you are noble for being so concerned about Chiyo-chan, methinks also that you're being awfully rude to your teammates! The impurity!**

Another one, more bored, masculine, and rascally came from her left. **Sixteen years, and you're still buggin' 'bout manners! Can it, ya bimbo. Etiquette, morale, purity or whatever the hell ya wanna call it didn't exactly work with the chick's pops, so what makes you think you'll have more luck NOW?**

Frowning an inquiring brow, she blinked round eyes. _Am I hallucinating? Is this genjutsu?_ In order to check, she created a hand sign that triggered the Dispel skill; if done properly, it worked to foil genjutsu—often, layered ones, as well.

Behind her, the female one took one hand off of her collar, pointing it up. Happily, she said, **But Yin! That is where thou art wrong!** Her eyes sparkled as she laid her cheek in her hand. **Young Ao-chan hast already learned the first lesson of **_**love,**_** and that is . . . caring!**

_I have to concentrate on my mission. Maybe if I ignore them, they'll go way,_ Ao thought.

The male snorted. **She obviously doesn't care about us. We told ya to slow it down, we can't fly to keep up with ya!** Ao ignored them, and she heard him curse something under his breath, feeling more pulling on her left shoulder. She glanced at the figure, whom now sat on her shoulder, holding onto the side of her collar.

He had a dark appearance, including his scruffy black locks. His skin was very tan, beneath black leather pants, boots, and a black T-shirt. Protruding from his back were bat-like wings, and he had red horns and a piked tail. Red eyes completed his smug expression. From what Ao had gathered, he was the one named Yin.

**Wherefore dost thou say that?** she grunted as she tried pulling herself onto Ao's shoulder. The preteen directed her gaze there, seeing a cherub-looking girl with large, innocent, bright blue eyes. She had hair and skin as white as snow, topped with a halo as angelic wings had sprouted behind her. Her outfit consisted of a toga-like dress and brown sandals strapped up her shins.

She comfortably sat on her shoulder now, holding onto her collar like Yin. Her wings were folded against her back as closely as possible. **Ahh, much better.**

Yin rolled his eyes. **Well, I dunno, Yang. A: She didn't slow down for us. B: She's totally ignoring us. Need more clues?**

Her finger touched her chin. **Well, now that I think of it, Sasuke-kun would normally be yelling at us by now.** She reached over and lightly tugged Ao's hair. **Ao-chan? AO-CHAAAAN? Can you hear us? Are you ignoring us? Ao-chaaaaan!**

A pulsing vein marked Ao's forehead. _Ignoring, ignoring, ignoring, ignoring—_

Yang gasped and covered her mouth.** You were right! She IS ignoring us! Ao-chan! Ao-chan! You were doing so well—but ignoring someone is just so . . . so rude!**

Yin raised a brow. **Bimbo, we just made our first appearance. . . . Of course I'm right. Now can it!**

She sniffed and sniveled. Her eyes began to sparkle with tears. There was a quiver in her lower lip. As whimpers began emanating from her, Yin did not even need to see her face to realize what was to commence. **Ohh boy, **he said, and pulled out a pair of plugs that he placed in his ears.

**It's so horrible, Yiiin!** she whined through tears. **Methinks—nay, thought—that I might hast been able to create a connection with this one, as we art both ladies, b-bu-bu-bu-but she ignores the both of us on the event of our first meeting! And Sasuke-kun hast always been more fond of thou than myself. Yiiiiiiiin!! Wherefore dost everyone abhor the conscience!?**

Drowning out the sound of her cries with his ear plugs, Yin chortled as he ignored her with complete success. On the other hand, Ao was receiving full brunt of the irritating cacophony right next to her ear. She felt a tug in her hair by her other ear.

**Yo, Blue,** he said, addressing Ao. Since Yang was busy crying, he did not bother with discretion. **I'll let ya in on a lil' secret, 'cause you're busy or whatever here. Smack her away, she'll be nothin' but a puff o' smoke. I don't care if ya pretend you don't hear me afterwards.**

The prodigy clicked her tongue, attempting to keep her anger under control, but took his advice without hesitation. She took the hand opposite of the shoulder where Yang roost and snatched her up, using her other hand to slap Yang away. The conscience screamed as she disappeared in smoke.

Yin smiled smugly and began taking the plugs out of his ears. **Smooth, well-played. Now that she's outta the way, how about—Hey! Hey! Put me back! I ain't doin' anythin' to bug ya!** He was taken up in Ao's hand and also smacked way. With an angry expression, he said, **Not cool, Blue!** and disappeared like Yang.

Ao sighed, now able to establish a more complete concentration on the mission before her. During the period of distraction, she had fallen back a few feet, and covered them until she was next to Pakkun again. She did not know what had just taken place, but at the moment, she would not allow herself to care.

Some distance in Team Sakura's wake, the heads and shoulders of Suoh, Washi, and Kanae rose from the ground; solely Suoh was masked. Kanae was in the center, watching the team's backs intently.

On her left, Washi said, "Those definitely are the ones that were guarding Chiyo-hime. The brunette one was drooling into a pillow."

Suoh's expression above the mask appeared to be a scowl. His attention was on the Uchiha symbol adorning the back of Ao's shirt. "I don't remember two of them. That symbol . . . is that one an Uchiha? I thought that they were all wiped out."

"Apparently, some weren't accounted for," Kanae concluded. "You know Yuri-sama's orders. It is time we become 'acquainted.'" She sunk back into the ground, followed by Suoh and Washi.

Oto's brow twitched and his lips curled into a sneer. By the beginning of Kanae's preceding statement, his hand was already in his shurikon holster. Three shurikon were taken out and, while he turned his body, thrown at where the trio previously had been. The blades hit the earth not a second after the trio's backs disappeared.

The sound of the blades hitting dirt instead of slicing flesh made him realize he missed and cursed. Two pairs of zori, and a set of paws, ceased to clack against the dirt. "What is it _now_ Oto-baka? Did you hear Chiyo-sama _sneeze_ and felt ya had to report it?"

"Stop whining, I heard enemies—!" Somebody broke through the earth in front of him, possibly with a fist raised above, poised to execute an uppercut. Oto felt the wind rush passed his face as he dashed back hardly in time. He heard a grunt from the person, allowing Oto to guess the man's gender and approximate height.

"What the—?" Ao murmured. But before more could be said, a woman wearing her hair in a braid also rose from the ground. Taking a less direct approach, she bent backwards, planting her hands on the ground. Her bottom half had still been submerged, but with that position, she flipped and attempted to kick Ao in the process; she dodged by leaning back, not wasting a heartbeat to throw a shurikon. Washi eluded it.

Kanae appeared lastly, by Shouta. With a large grunt of effort, she threw a boulder the size of a bowling ball at Shouta. He ducked and tried contacting Sakura through the radio. "Woah—Sakura-sensei! Sakura-sensei!"

The brunette woman formed a quick string of hand signs while Shouta was distracted by his teacher's lack of reply. The ground beneath his feet softened, becoming mud. With a yell, he sank quickly, submerged to his waist. _Earth Style: Earth Flow River!_ Kanae frowned.

Frowning, Shouta felt his body further sink in. Simultaneous with his elbows touching the mud, he formed a seal. Prominent bumps formed on his body, spoking into what resembled giant zits, and pulsated. The zits moved, as the things beneath his skin ran rampant, and then his body burst. A hundred Mini-Shoutas jumped out from him, yelling high-pitched war cries. The skin in which they had burst from dissolved into sugar.

Ao narrowed her eyes incredulously as she watched the tiny clones run forth and then pile upon one another, until they were a large, human-shaped mass. Some clung to others as they could not simply pile, for parts such as the arms. Sugar was released between them, and they merged back into Shouta's original persona. He took a defensive stance and stood facing Kanae.

"We're on our own, guys . . . we're too far from Sakura-sensei for the headsets to work," he said. _They were updated to longer ranges awhile ago, but . . . I guess not far enough. We should've had a plan B._

Washi rose a brow. "_Sensei?_ Ha! No wonder they're just kids. Shoulda known, with Konoha ninja." She smirked. "What pacifists. To still have a jonin teacher . . . they leave you sucking on the teat a long time, don't they?"

Ao clenched her fists around drawn kunai, but bit back her tongue. Her face was completely devoid of emotion, whilst her body language expressed irritation. She had to keep her cool. Being a (former) ANBU, she had to prove herself to the others of her "team" that she did not belong with them, but tracking S-rank criminals and others of the like.

While her eyes were on Washi, she was in fact watching all three of them, calculating their strength by the energy of their chakra emanating from them. Two of them, the woman with the braid and the man, seemed to be around chuunin level, perhaps fresh jonin, at best. The other woman, standing in front of Shouta, however, seemed to be strongest, of them. Ao wanted to fight her.

Suoh's eyes glanced from Oto to Ao, as his eyes widened a smidgen in recognition. "Ohh, Uchiha Ao. I'd forgotten. Uchiha Itachi allowed one of his clan members remain alive, and that one produced an offspring before his demise after killing Itachi."

Kanae snorted. "Hmph. Graduated prematurely, isn't that so? Rumor had it that she had skipped jonin and been promoted to ANBU. Still under a jonin teacher? Pathetic."

"Guess that's the problem with rumors," Washi taunted, meeting Ao's eyes, "just stories. Perhaps Konoha will soon realize they erred in letting a six-year-old graduate."

Ao's face remained expressionless, but her shoulders shook with violent rage. It blinded her to the other two opponents, her focus slowly defining itself to simply the redhead in front of her. She was about to execute an offensive attack when a tiny voice piped up behind her.

"Ao!"

She clicked her tongue. _Yin and Yang? I don't have time for them. . . ._

This voice was different, however. It was high-pitched, almost squeaky, but it was not feminine, though neared so. It spoke again, turning its head so its cheek was against the back of her neck; since she could not feel any wings disrupting what felt like the little figure's back as it planted itself against her, she was sure it was not the two from before.

"I am Mini-Shouta. Shouta have plan. Shouta and Bau do plan. You back up, get out of plan's way," it said. "Understand your plan—No respond, or they know something fishy. Be ready."

Ao closed her eyes as the Mini-Shouta jumped from her back and condensed into sugar. The mound seemed to dissolve as it stealthily trickled toward Shouta, undetected by all. It traveled up his leg and was absorbed into his body.

When Ao opened her eyes, she stared forward with sharingan eyes. While her sclera remained white, her irises had turned to a blood red, and three commas circled the pupil. She saw Washi's smirk begin to manifest itself greater before the event actually occurred.

Anticipating execution of the plan—_whatever the hell it is,_ she noted bitterly—she kept an eye on Shouta, closely watching him with her peripherals; she was quite skilled at it, appearing to focus on solely one figure when in reality, focusing on many. As far as Washi and her teammates knew, she was solely fixated on the redhead, or perhaps the two of them, as well. She knew that if she turned her attention to Shouta and Oto, they would be able to anticipate something going on.

Shouta's lips moved to form a word that she could not see through her peripherals, and he spoke so softly—if at all—that she could not hear. She deduced that he had added a very minimal amount of voice, for Oto nodded a fraction; super-hearing, as Shouta had called it.

Abruptly, as Ao made the observation, Shouta's hand extended to his right whilst Oto's extended to his left. She immediately backed away in a few hastened steps, with Pakkun following; he had either overheard Mini-Shouta warning Ao, or a different Mini-Shouta had told him what was to come.

Chakra of the wind element swirled into Shouta's hand, beginning to take the shape of a sphere. _Wind Style: Rasengan!_

Simultaneously, water was generated into the palm of Oto's hand. _Water Style: Destruction Torrent!_

Ao watched as the boys sprinted to one side of their opponents, where she and Pakkun would be out of the jutsu's way, and they could attempt at getting all three. Their jutsu met, and the elements of wind and water combined. The wind amplified the effect of the water, and turned it into a giant, swirling typhoon that sped toward their three opponents.

Her eyes widened, despite herself. Inwardly, she muttered, "Typhoon Water Vortex Jutsu. . . . That's a B-ranked technique! Like jonin. . . . And combining wind-natured chakra with the shape-manipulation of Rasengan . . . that's one step under Ootoji-sama's forbidden technique. . . .

"Have I under . . .?" She shook her head of that thought as the jutsu-collaboration disappeared, knowing she should not be consumed with speculations of that sort amidst battle. Her sharingan, for the moment, was deactivated. Kanae, Suoh, and Washi were strewn on the sides of the path, braced against trees or bushes. The one last mentioned spit water that had found its way into her gullet.

Once the jutsu cleared, Ao sprinted from her spot. She heard Shouta call after her, a blur of blues and white as she dashed toward Kanae. The Creek ninja did not linger in her vulnerable position, standing, and dashed back, keeping a distance between herself and Ao. She jumped up onto high branches of tall trees, glancing back only once to make sure of her footing.

While Konoha nin pursued Creek nin, the latter continued to dash backwards, further distancing herself from her teammates, as a result. The reason why she did not turn was that a kunai in the back was not desirable. Ao smirked, continuing to follow.

As Kanae continued to back away, she began forming hand signs, and Ao noticed a light breaking through the spaces in the thicket. They neared an opening, like a wide window, and Kanae clasped her hands in one last seal. She flipped back through the opening.

Ao followed sans hesitation, coming to a few realizations as she broke through. The area before her was liberated of trees, a clearing that included simply grass and a few spaces of dirt. The last sign the Creek ninja had made, snake, was known to most as the sign of the earth. It became apparent that the ninja was familiar with the territory, and quite possibly resided in a hidden village nearby. That, plus the fact that she had Earth element-based chakra, meant that she had the upper hand against her.

Ao sneered. _And the best counter-element against Earth is Lightning. This sounds like a challenge . . . fun._

Kanae landed in a hunkered position, releasing the sign. She planted a palm on the ground and the other on her thigh. _Earth Style: Pike Manifestation Jutsu!_

Multiple pikes randomly sprouted from the ground, rising in lengths varied from fifteen to twenty-five feet in the air. One quickly arose in front of Ao, reaching higher than her position, so she had to bring up her legs to attach the soles of her feet to the side, with chakra, so she would not slam into it; she impacted in a crouch. Keeping that chakra focused, she scaled up the side, up to the top.

The tip of the pike was dulled just enough for her to comfortably gather her bearings, as it did not come to a full point. She hopped from there and landed on another, following a trail of them that led to Kanae's position. Once she saw that her jutsu would not affect her opponent, the technique was released.

From atop the final pike, Ao deftly acquired four kunai and four shurikon, that she held in-between the fingers of her hands, and threw them at Kanae; she dodged them, but that was not the end of it.

The weapons, after she had eluded them, curled around to either side of her, being manipulated by tiny wires the brunette had not taken notice of. As Ao pulled on those strings, she returned to a pleasant, yet emotionless expression. The wires constricted her opponent in place.

Careful to keep her grip on them strong, she quickly performed a string of hand signs, lastly landing on tiger, the sign of flames. Taking up the wire near the opening of her mouth, she breathed in. _Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!_

A torrential flame was guided by the wires, bursting onto her target. She continued to exhale the flame for moments, hearing Kanae's screams, and then watched as the last of the flame ran along the wires less dramatically. Where her opponent's body used to be was now only dried, packed mud.

Ao lowered the wires. _A clone. . . ._

**

* * *

**

"Ao-chan!" Shouta called, watching as she sprinted off the scene after one of the Creek nin. He clicked his tongue, and murmured, "What is she thinking . . .?"

"I don't know," Oto replied, "but the other two aren't finished, yet."

The green-eyed brunette glanced over at Suoh and Washi as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a plastic, narrow tube that he bit the top off of. The woman was lifting herself from bushes, seeming about as cheerful as a wet cat. The man did not show much emotion as he stepped away from a tree, upon which he had created an impression.

Shouta was pouring the contents from the plastic tube, a powdery, blue substance appearing very similar to sugar, into his mouth as his and Oto's opponents shook themselves out, utterly soaked. Both formed hand signs, and a light steam arose from them as their clothes and bodies dried.

Oto heard the hiss of the drying. "Fire element-basked chakra. . . ."

Swallowing the powder, Shouta tossed the tube aside, and nodded. "Shouldn't be a problem, so long as I don't use the wind element." Wind element was susceptible to fire element quite simply because the nature of wind fanned the nature of flame.

"At whatever cost, let me do the elemental style jutsu, hmm?" Oto teased.

Shouta grinned. "Hakuna matata here, man."

Washi smoothed down the hair atop her head that began to frizz with the abrupt, comb-free drying, as she began taking steps toward where Shouta and Oto stood. Their jutsu had blown them back, and due to the medium-to-short-range of a majority of fire jutsu, the boys did not stand defensively right away. Suoh started to follow her, but left his hair the way it was, as his appearance seemed the same as when the first sighting was made.

"Not bad teamwork, fellas," the woman complimented, undoing her braid. It fell in kinks down to her waist, and some of her bangs seemed to melt back into it; most if it fell partly over her eyes and along her cheeks. She flipped half of it back, over her shoulder as she casually treaded. "But against Suoh and I, you just have no chance."

A few steps behind her, Suoh continued, "Since the day we left the womb, together, we have never been apart, a team since we were but fetuses. My sister and I won't hold back—but then, what are the chances we would have to go all out against you two, anyway?"

"That technique was cute, but—hmph. . . . Why spoil the surprise, when we can show you?"

Oto frowned, hunching over as he heard their footsteps come closer. "Try. But we'll be the ones showing you."

Washi's teeth bared in a sneer, and it was quite possible that Suoh wore a similar expression, but it was hard to discern, due to his mask.

**End of Chapter Eight**

Next Time in .:Violets are Blue:.!! Chapter Nine: From Sapphires to Rubies

Ao curved in her sprint, beginning to head back. A frown was evident on the fallen's face, as she gritted her teeth. Her only effort was to raise her chin and swiftly bring her hands together in front of her. She formed a string of hand seals and shouted, "Fire Style: Flames of Hell Jutsu!"

Suddenly, the Konoha ninja stopped running and looked up. Her eyes were wide, presenting amusement, as her lips parted. A giant ball of fire was descending from the heavens, and engulfed Ao's body.

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**Aki's Author Corner**

Aki: Hello everyone and welcome to *choruses with Yin and Yang* Aki's Author Corner!!

Yang: *clasps hands together as eyes sparkle* Such a long, long time 't hast been since we hast spoken those sweet words. . . .

Yin: *says boredly, leaning back in lawn chair* Sweet.

Aki: *smiles* It has been a long time since I've had a Corner, but I'm more than happy to also say that the two quite possibly most popular characters out of ALL my OCs, have returned! Finally XD! And when things calm down a bit, I am quite sure that they'll play as big a part as in .:Roses are Red:. :D Time will tell!

Yang: *claps hands together, smiling with eyes shut* This is so exciting! Isn't it, Yin?

Yin: *snores obnoxiously*

Yang: D: *floats over to Yin and hovers above him* Yiiiiiiiin!! Thou can't slumber during the Corner!

Yin: . . . *is*

Yang: *sparkly eyes* Thou art so mean, still. . . . *tugs the front of Yin's shirt and starts shaking him vigorously* YIIIIIIN!! AWAKEN!! PLEASE, AWAKEN!! *stops shaking and looks at him imploringly*

Yin: . . . . *still fast asleep, little bubble of snot inflated from one nostril*

Yang: Eeeeewww. . . .

Aki: Aaanyway XD I missed writing them. When you guys review, you can tell me your favorite Yin and Yang moments from .:Roses are Red:.! Including the Corners, as well, naturally :D Also, there's something I've been wondering . . . what is the definition of a Mary-Sue? I had thought it was basically "perfectly perfect in every way," but when I think about it . . . there really is no such thing. No such character can be made because certain personality traits can be viewed as both virtues or vices, depending on the interpretation. So, I'm curious :D For those who know the answer to the question of "What is a Mary-Sue?" then please, leave it in the review or message me privately.

Yang: *yelling at Yin* WE ART NO LONGER ON VACATION, YIIIIIN!!! WE CANNOT SLEEP WHENEVER, PLEASE AWAKEN!!!!

Yin: *smiling as he contentedly dreams of unicorns, ponies, sugar, spice, and everything nice*

Aki: Thanks for reading, everybody, God bless! Dual thanks to my beta-reader, Ace! Leave a review!

Yin: *wakes up and looks at readers* Or else I will curse you.

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**Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review!**


	9. Sorry

**I am so sorry.**

Firstly, I would like to apologize that this is not another new chapter of .:Violets are Blue:., but an announcement that it is **going to be rewritten.** Please continue reading on, for I will state exactly how much is being rewritten, why, and what I shall do with the rewritten chapters.

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I have come to the discovery, whilst writing this sequel, that it is at the point of not being a sequel at all, pretty much; it should have more to do with Sasuke and Krystal, and as it is a Naruto fanfiction, the OC-action should not be so . . . well, consuming. I did not mean for so much OC-action to commence, and I had planned for more Ao to be the main character, but I took it a little far. Now for some of you, this may have been totally fine, but due to lack of review after the fourth chapter, or something like that, I have no clue what it is you, my readers, like or do not like about .:Violets are Blue:.

So if you would rather me continue as is, review now. I will give it a week before I post rewrites, unless I feel there is absultely no choice but to do so as, well, I think I can make things run a lot smoother if I rewrite; I plan to solely delete showing the mission Team Sakura is on. You could say that chapters . . . one through six will remain mostly intact with a few changes here or there, while after that, I will bring on more canon and Krystal action :)

After the week is over, if I do not get enough reviews asking me to do differently, I will start posting this iunder an **ALTERNATE TITLE. **The title will for the most part still be "Violets are Blue," however "Rewrite" will be ahead of it. So I suppose . . . "Rewrite: Violets are Blue." The summary will be transferred under that title and then I will change the summary of the original VaB to something like "Being rewritten; for new chapters and rewrites, see "Rewrite: Violets are Blue"

Thanks for reading, those of you who did, and please leave your comments in a review :) God bless.


	10. A Humbling Moment

Recappy from the Last Chappy: A few steps behind her, Suoh continued, "Since the day we left the womb, together, we have never been apart, a team since we were but fetuses. My sister and I won't hold back—but then, what are the chances we would have to go all out against you two, anyway?"

"That technique was cute, but—hmph. . . . Why spoil the surprise, when we can show you?"

Oto frowned, hunching over as he heard their footsteps come closer. "Try. But we'll be the ones showing you."

Washi's teeth bared in a sneer, and it was quite possible that Suoh wore a similar expression, but it was hard to discern, due to his mask.

**Chapter Nine: A Humbling Moment**

Ao stared at the destroyed mud doppelgུnger for a moment more from the top of the pike and then began looking around, searching for signs of Kanae. There were not many places for her opponent to hide, so she should have been fairly easy to find, but the ninja was nowhere in sight.

The prodigy jumped from the top of the pike to one of the other ones, causing Kanae's kunai to sweep across empty air. A portion of her upper body, including her head and right arm, projected from the pike. That Kanae distracted her when another, first in the form of mud, projected from the pike she currently stood on, and then moved to strike.

Before the attack could land, Ao looked and lifted her legs to crouch mid-air. She brought out a kunai and twisted herself to stab the arm of her attacker before she landed, and as the clone melted, Ao dashed to another pike. Instead of settling, she dashed back a few more pikes before dropping from the top.

As she kicked off from the side, she activated her sharingan. After pushing off the side of the third pike, she pulled back her first and rebounded it into the next. It broke through the rock, creating many stone fragments, and Kanae was revealed amidst them; Ao's punch had continued on through the stone and hit her stomach.

The Konoha kunoichi kicked off of a stone fragment and used what little force it gave her to bounce to a pike's side. She watched as the Creek ninja continued to fall back from the punch, through one of the pikes, into the ground. There was a small crater of impact.

Kanae stood quickly, despite her erupting pains, and Ao began dashing toward the brunette's position. Ao formed the necessary seals, and a large volume of water began to materialize from nowhere.

Seeming to recognize the technique before the water even began manifesting itself, for she immediately began forming hand seals as well, Kanae spewed a line of mud onto the ground before her, forming a line parallel to her front. As Ao's technique, _Water Style: Water Collision Destruction,_ closed in on her opponent, the mud rose up and hardened, forming a wall of protection. _Earth Style: Mud Wall!_

The water crashed into the form manifested by Kanae's technique torrentially, dividing around the now rock-solid wall. Behind the wall that she had created, the Creek kunoichi was no longer in view of the Uchiha. Mentally, she cursed. She should have known better; against Earth, Water was the most vulnerable of the elements.

A minor setback, one that was not necessarily one at all in the current situation. It would be one thing if she had attempted to shield herself with water against rock being launched at her. Even so, for the waste of chakra, Ao berated herself. Although she did have an exceptional supply, it did take a great amount to make water appear from thin air.

The water showered the rest of the grass, creating more mud as it sank into the dirt. Ao reached both of her hands back into her kunai pouch and held knives in-between each finger. Her feet found the surface of the wall; it was a little slippery, but on top, she did land with grace and peeked over the edge.

She had her arms crossed in front of her, ready to throw the projectiles, but Kanae was not in sight. Narrowing her eyes, she attempted looking closer, wondering if her sharingan had missed something when sweeping her eyes over the scene.

Suddenly, from the corner of her sharingan eye, she saw the movement of the mud created from her water jutsu. Turning her head, she saw as that mud was shaped by chakra into the shape of mighty, serpentine dragon..

Before the dragon opened its mouth and began spewing mud projectiles, Ao ducked onto the side of the mud wall opposite of it. The projectiles pelleted around her, but with the shelter of the wall, she was safe; so long as Kanae did not attempt using the wall against her.

_That's the "Earth Style: Earth Dragon Projectile Jutsu,"_ Ao thought to herself. _These jutsu she's using . . . I don't know what rank they are, but—,_ she smirked, _—this woman has skill, like I'd anticipated._

The mud pellets stopped raining around her, and she used the Earth Release Jutsu to sink into the mud wall; it was not necessarily an Earth Style technique nor did it undo Earth Style jutsu, despite the name, but it let either a highly skilled ninja or a nin with an affinity for the Earth element pass through ground and soil easily.

After a moment, she exited the wall, glancing back only once as she ran away; her lips curled. Using the _Camouflage Concealment Jutsu,_ Kanae's appearance almost completely blended with the mud wall. On the side closest to Ao, she had most likely crossed through the wall from the other side once Ao's water technique ended and then blended her features. Due to her sharingan, Ao's eyes pierced that veil.

At a good distance away from the wall the Kunoichi formed a single hand sign. Within the wall, there was a sizzling, as a large paper bomb tagged to a kunai burned, toward detonation. The nearly invisible physiognomy of Kanae twisted with a minute confusion, before her eyes widened.

But it was too late. Before the nin could run away, prior in fact to herself being able to completely peel her body away, the large bomb detonated. In succession, smaller bombs also planted by Ao detonated, creating a behemoth of an explosion.

Kanae was blown forward by the blast, and was forced to roll over a few times. It prevented fire from burning her, however the parts of her skin along the backs of her legs and arms not protected by clothing suffered very minor burns.

Ao curved in her sprint, beginning to head back. A frown was evident on the fallen's face, as she gritted her teeth. Her only effort was to raise her chin and swiftly bring her hands together in front of her. She formed a string of hand seals and shouted, "Fire Style: Flames of Hell Jutsu!"

Suddenly, the Konoha ninja stopped running and looked up. Her eyes were wide, presenting amusement, as her lips parted. A giant ball of fire was descending from the heavens, and engulfed Ao's body.

**

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**

Hellish heat warmed her mouth and chin, radiating from a grand ball of fire ignited by chakra inches in front of her lips, which puckered to form an O. _Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!_ Pretty, sapphire blue eyes watched the fireball fall from their person's position down toward Oto.

Washi—from her position on the side of the tree—sneered as her fireball was making its way.

The fire's hissing as it quickly closed the gap reached Oto's ears and he quickly formed a hand sign. Then, he arched his back and opened his mouth, releasing a loud, but deep, cry. His jutsu amplified the sound waves and vibrations (this did not seem to bother him), so when they reached the fireball, the flame snuffed out in one sweep.

The female redhead's sneer broke, taken aback. A ball of flame, especially kindled by herself, did not often become extinguished that quickly—even when engulfed by water jutsu, the full execution was not instantaneous. This child had used _sound_—which she had never even heard of before!

She clicked her tongue. _In all my years as a ninja. . . ._

Oto jumped toward her, so she produced a kunai and tossed it at him. He pulled out his own, holding it until her kunai was about to hit him, and used his to block it; the clang of metal resonated in his ears as Washi's kunai was knocked aside.

Since Washi was in a position where chakra on the soles of her feet kept her on the side of a tree, and she had bent her knees so that she was leaning back against it, all that she had to do when Oto swept his kunai at her was to stand upright. While his body continued forward, or rather just above where she currently stood, she turned with her heel raised and ready to slam into him.

However, he used his kunai to plant into the side of the tree and stop himself from sailing. He knew the small weapon would not hold his weight well without distribution, therefore he used it to obtain just the amount of leverage needed to rise above Washi's kick.

His body ended up on the face of the tree, where he decided against applying chakra. The wind rushed passed his face, blowing his hair from his eyes, as his feet slid down the trunk; his expression did not waver. In his path, Washi stood.

Bringing her leg down, the woman's eyes widened, and she jumped out of his way. She reached into her pouch quickly and procured two knives pre-attached to wire. She threw both of them and held onto the other ends. The knives forced themselves into the side of the tree; the wire became taut and kept her suspended.

Oto realized his opponent was not where she was supposed to be, once hearing the kunai land, and twisted so his back was to the ground. He concentrated chakra and abruptly stopped, lurching, and produced a few shurikon. Guesstimating where her position was, as he did not take the time to echo-locate and pinpoint exactly, he threw them.

The shurikon were thrown widely, so many were not near her, however one did head toward Washi directly. As the wires were still in a slant, and she in mid-air, she pulled herself up, and the weapons missed her. She then decided to let go and land on the ground. During her fall, she threw shurikon toward Oto.

"Bau!" shouted Shouta. "Look ou—ngh!" The brunette clenched his arm, where a kunai thrown by Suoh had sliced during his momentary distraction. He turned his head toward Suoh, whom appeared mildly amused.

"Your partner doesn't have sight, yet you were the first to be injured," he stated.

The chuunin glanced at his wound. Hardly an blood was seeping from it, and the hand that had covered it had simply a pinkish film instead of a line or pool of blood. "Oh, that's actually kinda shallow."

The pinkish film dissolved from the surface of his right hand, turning into sugar as he brought that hand down, turning the hand into a scoop. More sugar was pulled from within the mounds of his palm, creating a Mini-Shouta hidden from Suoh's view. He appeared very relaxed, staring back at his opponent while pulling out a kunai. His left hand was not his dominant one, but that was not the hand that needed accuracy.

He glanced over at Washi and Oto's positions; both had their feet planted on the ground, facing one another, and were ready to strike, but did not. Oto's back was to Shouta. _Good._

Kunai raised, the brunette turned his gaze back to Suoh and charged. His right arm was thrown to the side, releasing the Mini-Shouta without his opponent's knowledge, as the masked adversary pulled out his own kunai. He ran forward to meet Shouta, blocking the chuunin's knife with the blade on his left arm. He attempted to use his knife to cut him, but he solely caught Shouta's tie.

Mini-Shouta sailed through the air, squealing lowly, but loudly enough for Oto to hear. This was so he would be alerted to the Mini's presence and not think the body was a projectile weapon. It collided with his back and held onto his flak jacket. It climbed up his back and rested on his shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" Oto murmured under his breath.

Mini-Shouta closed its eyes and smiled. "Let me be eyes! I, 'Seeing-Eye Mini-Shouta!'"

Hazed eyes narrowed whereas his jaw clenched. "I don't need your help . . . I can manage on my own, just fine."

It opened its eyes. "Shouta thought you say that. He say to you, 'I know you have limits. Just let me help.'"

Oto closed his mouth, swallowing down his pride. Beneath the veil of his bangs, his eyebrows knit. He turned the direction of his gaze toward the position in which Washi stood, told to him by the return of his constantly emanating sound waves.

All that he saw was darkness, his eyes knew nothing else. No color, no light. He knew fire only by heat, pain, and the leathery scar left behind when he touched something hot; a burn. He knew the hiss of fire jutsu as it rushed toward him.

He was also indeed well versed in the whistling of projectile weapons, so he rarely needed help pinpointing that they were there. But like with when he threw shurikon, it was sometimes tough to discern where a mid-air opponent was.

Yes, he was proud of how far he had come. His disability had not held him back; it was an obstacle that he, for the most part, had overcome. That was why he was increasingly reluctant to accept help, particularly from people whom he often saw, or whose opinion mattered.

"Don't distract me," he whispered.

Mini-Shouta saluted. "Bau, sir!" It then stared intently at Washi, peeking over Oto's shoulder. She did not seem to notice the little guy's appearance.

Meanwhile, after he had eluded the kunai, Shouta took a few steps back and threw his, instantaneously forming the sign of the ram. He held out his arms in front of him and a dozen Mini-Shouta's popped up. They ran along his arms and at the end, jumped to each other, merging.

Suoh's eyes frowned. The clones were combining quickly, forming what appeared to be a giant club. Shouta took hold of the handle as it began finalizing his form, coming more to a point and creating a circle beneath his hands. When it was fully defined, the final result was him holding a giant kunai large enough to be a small sword.

Although it was composed entirely of sugar and the chakra needed to mold the shape, the kunai was heavy and required two hands to hold it erect. Due to the Wind-based chakra, it was sharp, and since the sugar was compacted so closely together, it would be as hard and heavy as cement.

Shouta heaved it over his shoulder and charged forward, sweeping it in front of himself when he came to an acceptable distance. Suoh dodged fluidly, and the giant kunai was drawn to crash into the ground; an indentation was made, which was mildly impressive to the Creek nin.

In that position, Shouta's back was to him for a brief moment, and he kicked the brunette's derriere so he fell forward. The chuunin lost his balance and stumbled, providing his opponent with enough time to pick up the knife, one-handed. It was effortless. He was about to swing the blade when it condensed back into sugar.

Quickly, Shouta took a sweetened tart from his pocket and popped it into his mouth as he stood. While chewing and turning, he performed a short, quick sequence of three seals and the dissolving sugar turned into many senbon, or acupuncture needles. They all hit Suoh, but his vital points were missed.

Probably frowning behind his mask, Suoh glared whereas Shouta smiled, and the needles dissolved into sugar, adding to the pain of the tiny wounds. The dissolved sugar collected into Mini-Shoutas that ran back to their life-sized counterpart to be absorbed back into the skin.

"Is that the game you wanna play, punk?!" inquired Suoh angrily.

"Actually, Shogi or Dai Hin-Min is more for me, but—" he shrugged while popping three more sweet tarts into his mouth all at once, "—makes no never mind to me. Honestly, I'm amused at you trying to figure out my techniques."

The truth was, Shouta's techniques were of a unique sort that was not necessarily an advanced bloodline because he was the first generation within his clan to have it; there was no way of knowing if it would be passed down the line. Some thought it might be a birth defect—one that had positive side-effects, when taken advantage of.

His body stored sugar in such a way that a majority of it was not used for energy. He had discovered how to use the stored sugar to create clones of all sizes and manipulate shapes to create weapons. He reabsorbed the sugar, but not all of it came back to him since the forms burned sugar off. That was why he ate sweets all of the time, but never seemed to gain weight.

While the uniqueness was a factor, he also found amusement when his opponents raised a brow at him pausing to consume more sugar during battle.

"It'll be easy to get around," Suoh said.

Shouta only smiled.

Washi performed the needed hand signs for _Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu_ and brought her hand up to her mouth. She breathed four small fireballs, all headed toward Oto. Mini-Shouta called their existence, specifying the amount and how high they were.

Water came forth within Oto's hand, shaping into a whip that he swept in front of himself. The whip cracked and doused three of the fireballs. Mini-Shouta pointed out the direction of the missed projectile verbally and Oto whipped that one away, as well.

"All gone!" it piped.

"I can tell," he said in annoyance. Testing Washi a smidgen, he ran forward and cracked the whip of water at Washi herself. She ducked, but since he had slashed diagonally, the end caught her ear. Instead of the normal crack, she heard a high-pitched screaming.

She let out a cry of her own and fell to her knees, grabbing that ear. Her eyes were saucer-wide as she gathered her bearings, ears ringing. Evidently, Oto had channeled sound waves through the _Whip of Water._

While she was vulnerable, he took the opportunity to perform another jutsu. Once he made the corresponding hand signs, he expelled a powerful jet of water from his gullet. Sound waves were once again integrated within the stream, which increased in area as the distance from him grew. _Water Style: Violent Water Wave!_

Washi's face and upper torso were impacted harshly, and she was forced back; the screaming filled and overwhelmed her ears, even when she struggled to cover them. Her ears and head seared with pain as she curled up, like she was trying to cushion herself.

The back of her shoulders and head of her spine crashed into the face of a tree. Water stopped leaving Oto's mouth and he inhaled deeply, breathing accented. He smiled a tinge in satisfaction and heard Mini-Shouta exclaim excitement.

He frowned. "That would fall under 'distraction.'"

"Oh!" Mini-Shouta put a finger to its lips and then acted as if to zip its mouth shut. "Sorry!"

Their opponent was also breathing heavily, due to the agony coursing through her auditory nerves and bleeding ears. She still covered them, and could feel the warmth of crimson liquid as it touched her figures. Virtually immobile, she opened her eyes in a squint, watching as Oto approached her.

_No . . . it can't end like this,_ she thought, slowly uncurling her legs.

Shouta released a yell and fell back, dodging a giant fireball. In the shape of a dragon's head, it had been released from Suoh and caught the brunette off-guard. A product of his _Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu,_ it had broken through Shouta's _Concrete Sugar Wall,_ therefore Shouta dodged barely in time.

The sugar burned instantly, becoming glossy black shards that were very similar to glass. The masked redhead did not hesitate to run toward his sister. Oto turned around, grabbing a kunai, but before he could use it, he was bashed over the head by the armor of Suoh's right arm. He managed to remain conscious, yet doubled over, and his head swam.

Suoh grabbed his sister from beneath her arm pits and helped her to stand, staring at her with emotionless eyes. "Pull yourself together, Washi. We're not close to being done, yet," he said almost gently; there was still the sense that he was giving her a firm order, in his voice.

"I . . . **I know,**" she replied, straightening. Her hands were held by her brother as she faced him with her head still bowed. The effect of the sound from Oto's techniques was wearing off, so her ability to move was returning as she turned her head and glared.

Shouta had recovered from surprise and falling back, running to his teammate's side. Oto was already standing, glaring ahead of himself. The sclera of Mini-Shouta's eyes were evident. The normally laid back brunette was sporting a wary frown.

Washi raised her head and tilted it back, sapphire eyes meeting sapphire eyes. Both nodded simultaneously, releasing each other's hands, and turned toward their opponents.

**

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**

Sakura set a hand on her hip and sighed, frowning. She sighed as she brushed her gaze around her; the small village in which Chiyo had been kidnapped was full of townsfolk shopping at street vendors.

Thus far, her search for information on Chiyo's kidnappers had been fruitless.

It was not a great surprise, under the circumstances. During the middle of a storm, most people were tossing and turning in their beds, trying to sleep through it or were too scared to do more than hide underneath the bed or in a tightly enclosed space; the latter would be an attempt at achieving the security one felt as a fetus inside the womb. If it were not those reasons, then the sound of thunder drowned anything out.

Sakura checked the time. She should have received another report by now. Speaking into the headset, she radioed her student. "Shouta? Report."

". . . ."

"Shouta?"

". . . ."

"Ah. . . ." She took note of the crackling noise. "He's out of range. Maybe I've been searching, long enough. . . ."

**

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**

Flames licked her skin, but because Ao knew it was not a true fire, she was unconcerned and felt no pain. Kanae had called it as a ninjutsu, "Fire Style: Flames of Hell Jutsu." Withal, it was actually a genjutsu technique called, "Demonic Illusion: Hell Fire Jutsu."

Kanae had called a false name in order to reinforce the illusion, else wise it was a horrible mistake to call out the name of the jutsu one was using prior to it manifesting. Ao's sharingan had seen through the sham sans effort. It was amusing to her. She dispelled the technique and dashed toward where Kanae, previously laying, stood.

Chakra was manipulated into a spiraling sphere within her hand, a technique that she had copied from the current Hokage. Unlike him, she had enough concentration to not require a clone to aide her in creating it, but she did not have the proper elemental affinity to add nature to it.

Ao's rasengan hit Kanae square in the chest, so she spun like a wheel as she flew back quite a distance. Twenty or thirty feet away, she began skidding across the ground painfully. Ao gave a satisfied smirk, until someone grabbed her ankle.

"Ah!" The Uchiha turned her sharingan eyes toward that ankle and watched as the hand of Kanae's mud clone pulled her beneath the ground, burying her entire body with the exception of her head and neck. She could hardly move. White sclera surrounded blood red irises completely as she stared at her opponent far away.

A humbling moment is generally rejected in disdain, particularly by the vain. She felt belittled, humiliated; yet restrained from inflating herself more, denying the event happened. Those whose vanity ruled over their better sense often met a distasteful end; that she knew.

If not for dumb luck, Ao knew that she would be introducing herself to the Almighty. Her ears burned nearly as bright red as her sharingan eyes. The hues bleed into her cheeks above gritted teeth.

Kanae struggled to stand, covered in dirt and bruises from head to toe. Her eyes only stayed open a smidgen, squinted, while her breathing was heavy. Holding her left arm with her right hand, across the site where Ao's rasengan had hit, she began to stagger toward her.

Beneath Kanae's cast shadow, Ao glared, thinking not solely of her insolence, but berated herself for allowing it to be her almost-death sentence. She had isolated herself and an Earth ninja, something she should have taken account of.

No, she _had _taken account of it. Separating herself from her teammates to face a ninja she knew would have the upper-hand due to being native and having the affinity for the Earth Element. She had wanted no aide from her "teammates," she had wanted to prove she did not need them, she was above them. She had wanted to be restored to her ultimate status, where she had the assurance of her skill.

Assurance of skill? Inwardly, she snorted. She could almost hear Oto telling her that the alleged "assurance" was mere justification for her vanity not rightfully deserved. "Is there that great a difference?" she wondered quietly, lowering her gaze.

Kanae straightened herself from her slumped gait and looked down at Ao calmly, appearing to present no threat; in light of the situation, however, Ao could not trust that observation alone, and doubt overruled.

She twisted within the soil, finding little room to maneuver, once shaking herself of her speculations. It was then that the Creek nin found her breath, and spoke. "I have no intention of fighting with you to the death. . . . In fact, I would like to enlist the help of you and your teammates."

**End of Chapter Nine**

Next Time on .Violets are Blue:.!! Chapter Ten: A Ryo for Your Thoughts

Hands, one bare but for her wedding ring, and the other clad in the glove, still just in front of her face, she opened her eyes blankly. She began to stare at the ring, and realized just how harmful it was that she had been left to her thoughts for so long. She could not regress to that stage; no matter how much she longed for him, he was gone . . . forever.

Sadly and solemnly, she slipped the ring off of her hand and put it away. With mild reluctance, she produced Sai's engagement ring and stared at it. Slowly, she eased it into place on her finger.

**

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**Thanks for reading, guys! Evidently, I decided not to rewrite and simply continue with the storyline; I got enough messages on Quizilla assuring me that it is fine as is :) Some drama is to come, trust me. Or was the preview of the next chapter not proof enough? I'll try to update quicker, but school is getting in the way as well as lack of inspiration. I don't plan to become one of those update-every-few-months-authors, however. God bless!

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**I don't care anymore. Review at your behest. I like reviews, but I am not going to beg you for them.**

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	11. A Ryo for Your Thoughts

**Chapter Ten: A Ryo for Your Thoughts**

Sometimes, one unintentionally tears their life apart with a single decision, and there is no way to mend the pieces. Then the same happens to their heart. It shatters into millions of fragments, many microscopic and never to be found again. How was one to line them back up?

Though his heart was still in tact, Sasuke pondered this, for there was the possibility that time would be the sole matter. Two months, and nearly two or three weeks, and his wife would return and make the decision that would either embrace him in warmth or sentence the cracked glass of his heart into the tundra.

His son was a terrible ninja that could hardly remember the names of hand seals, much less throw a projectile weapon properly; the same would possibly true if his very life depended on it. His daughter was filled with the furious flames of the betrayed, and would not even call him "father" or "dad."

And then there was "the other man." Sai. So many ways he could be taken care of, each more tantalizing than the previous thought; but he was much smarter than that. Such acts would only separate him from his family once more, and further tear his life to shreds. At least now he had a chance sewing it back up before the cloth was cast away with the ashes; he simply needed to discern how to work the needles.

As a father to his children, he had failed. To his wife, he had had failed as a husband and as a friend. Because he had not been there to protect them, provide for them; hold Krystal's hand as she gave birth to Hatsumomo, teach him some of the rites of passage of the Uchiha, hold him as a baby; witness Ao's rise in the shinobi world, congratulate her on her first ANBU mission, watch as she donned her flak jacket for the first time, teach her about the sharingan prowess. . . . Because he had not been there to help her back onto her feet after she failed her first mission or an innocent someone's life was lost at her hands.

No, he had not failed solely as a husband, father, and friend. He had failed as a _man._

The muscles of Sasuke's bare arms were tight, same as were they in the meeting of his shoulder blades beneath a sleeveless black turtleneck. Traces of emotion were visible still, but the canvas of his physiognomy was as blank as he could make it; irritation speckled his brow.

"Serpent . . . ram . . . monkey . . . b-boar . . . horse . . . um . . . um. . . ." Hatsumomo murmured the names of the hand seals he performed, aware of the eyes watching him. Sweat matted his bleach-blonde hair as he tried to remember the last seal. Furrowing his brow, he glanced at Sasuke.

"This one should be the easiest to remember, all fire jutsu have tiger, the sign of flames!" he said impatiently.

The young blonde blushed and grinned sheepishly, "Oh yeah! I-I knowed that, believe it! I was . . . testing you!" He faced the body of water in front of the wooden pier on which he stood and performed the final seal. "Tiger!" He lowered his hands and inhaled deeply. _Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!_

He leaned forward and exhaled, but the result was anti-climactic. Unlike his father, or his sister, his fireball was anything but great; a pack of embers was released in front of him. His face fell as they turned to ashes even before falling into the lake.

A knot tied in his stomach. _I couldn't do it . . . again. _Apprehensively, he looked at Sasuke once more.

There were no obvious signs in the man's eyes that the irritation had grown, but the six-year-old could clearly see the disappointment. Breathing heavily, as he had been attempting this jutsu for a long while that day, he lowered his eyes, not wanting to bear sight to that look.

"We're done for today," said Sasuke, keeping his voice even. "Go get ready for supper, it should be done soon."

Hatsumomo nodded and walked down the length of the pier, head hung low. His eyes were shining with collecting tears unshed and his mouth was in a frown. _I couldn't even 'member the seals. . . ._

The ashes of Hatsumomo's unsuccessful jutsu continued to sink to the bottom of the lake, dissolving from one another. Sasuke continued to stare forward. He was not expecting a prodigy. He was not expecting him to be able to produce a fireball as substantial as his own. For it to be but embers, however, was proof more about how much he had failed.

These were the first steps to be taken in sewing his life together.

**

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**

Ao could not bring her eyes to gaze higher, instead staring at the desk belonging to the Sixth Hokage Uzumaki Naruto. A slew of papers was scattered messily on its surface in a non-uniform manner, and the Hokage's hands held a mission report.

Beneath a large bandage on the "prodigy's" right cheek the colors of shame mirrored that of her left. Her hand corresponding to the latter was dressed in gauze, too were her legs beneath her knees.

Shouta stood on her right, light cuts and puncture wounds evident where bandages and gauze did not cover; sites aside from his chest, forearms, and right leg. His expression was much lighter, casual as he watched Naruto read over the report.

Next to him Oto's head was bowed, allowing his bangs to nearly mask shut eyes. His entire right arm was bandaged beneath his sleeve, and bandages around his neck suggested they wrapped around his torso, as well. The shade of his skin toughened the task of searching for crimson pigment; however his body language suggested restlessness or discontent.

Naruto's eyes became saucer-wide and tore from the paper. "What?! You let the Daimyo's daughter get _kidnapped!?_"

"We got her back!" Sakura defended from beside Ao; she was unwounded. "I know what it sounds like, but we got her to the Winter Festival in the Village Hidden in Its Beauty safely and then escorted her home. And in reality, she was never in any danger, because that wasn't the intent of the kidnappers."

His eyes narrowed and he questioned with a quirked brow, "What do you mean?"

The pink-haired jonin regarded the female of her students. "I let my students go ahead of me as I tried to find out some things about the kidnappers, when they engaged in combat with them. Ao separated herself from Shouta and Oto, fighting a woman by the name of Kanae. From her, we learned the identity of the kidnappers and the reason. Ao?"

She reacted, but did not lift her gaze. "The village that kidnapped her was the Creek, a small one with a very small population and even smaller ninja army. Leading that village is an eleven-year-old boy named Yuri, who . . . had a crush on Chiyo-sama and ordered his ninja to kidnap her so he could marry her."

"Eleven? How did he get them to follow orders like that? Challenging the Fire Nation, a small village like that . . . it's suicide!"

"According to Kanae, it's suicide not to follow orders, there; he's pretty merciless, for an eleven-year-old. He came into power by killing his parents with this technique that stole their souls and trapped them within a necklace of prayer beads. By drawing a three-pronged seal on the foreheads of his ninja, he developed something like the Hyuuga Curse, only when it's activated, instead of killing brain cells it steals their soul. He scared his ninja into doing what he wants. Apparently, he could also use the spirits he collected to fight for him, as well. . . .

"As a leader he makes rash decisions but masks them by appearing stoic and mature. His people were leading peaceful lives, but some ninja feared that those would soon be over if he kept making decisions like the one to kidnap Chiyo-sama instead of asking her parents for her hand. Kanae, who as it turns out was Yuri's older sister and the true heiress, didn't want to create unnecessary trouble with a Great Shinobi nation, and was angry that he was 'jeopardizing the lives of his people over some stupid crush,' so she helped us to get Chiyo-sama back."

Sakura continued on. "We tried to take her back by force, but it did no good . . . in the end, Chiyo-sama had to convince Yuri that letting her go was the right thing."

**

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**

_The clang of metal resonated from below as Kanae and Team Sakura fought ghostly entities. Ao, Oto, and Shouta performed poorly, injured from their previous battles. For the most part, they had to defend and elude, for the spirits could not be damaged._

_Watching from a fenced level above, Chiyo leaned over the bar, viewing the battled with worried citrus eyes and a furrowed brow. Yuri was at her side, exhibiting more emotion than she had seen from him since she met him. Those ephemeral lilac irises were mere points surrounded by sclera as he gripped the bar tightly. His knuckles were becoming whiter, if possible, and he seemed to tremble with great anger._

"_Kanae, you traitor!" yelled the boy. "My own sister!"_

_The woman glanced up at him with the same eyes as his and clicked her tongue. "After you killed Mom and Dad, any sibling bond I had with you was tarnished. You know that it was the decision of an unfit leader to kidnap a young girl!"_

"_No!" he shouted. "No! No! No, it wasn't! I __**love**__ her! I don't want her to go!" Shutting his eyes, he pried his right hand from the bar and formed the seal. "Anyone against me has to die!"_

_The three-pronged seal on Kanae's forehead glowed with a pastel blue light, and she collapsed. Chiyo gasped as the woman's soul rose from her body and ascended into Yuri's prayer beads. He was mad, appearing on the verge of insanity._

_Chiyo looked from him to Kanae's corpse and back. Her mouth hung open as she straightened and took a step away, but only one. At the same time in which he was frightening her and she wanted to run away, something bound her in place and told her to stay._

_A cry of anguish came from below, deep in a way that led her to believe it was the blind ninja's. She peeled her eyes away from Yuri momentarily and peered over, seeing Oto as he tried to pick himself up from the floor. Hovering above him was a spirit holding a giant club._

_Not far away from him stood Ao, who had activated her sharingan eyes as she tried to elude two ghosts with hefty blades. Her speed was being put to good use, dodging the weapons. In some instances, she barely seemed to move in time, as the spirits' mobility was beyond human means._

_She clicked her tongue and looked back at Yuri, whom once again gripped the bar. Within the anger, a great pain marked his countenance. His eyes exhibited a desperation heard also in his voice as he shouted at the invading shinobi. His brow was tight as it was furrowed. His jaw was clenched almost as much as it slacked, holding back the emotions that would tear him down to cry like the young boy he was._

_He wrinkled his face more with dissatisfaction and tore the beads over his head, tangling them into a sign that he performed with both of his hands. "You won't give up!" Every bead glowed with that pastel blue light. "Why can't you just leave us alone!?"_

_Chiyo gasped; she knew naught of his techniques, therefore did not know absolutely that he was doing something great, but she did know how desperate he was becoming, and inferred that he was coming to a last resort._

"_Yuri, don't!" She released her qualms and ran the few steps toward him. Her small body collided into him and she threw her arms around him; he was shaken from concentration, and the light dimmed as the frustration dwindled in manifestation._

_Within her hold, his muscles loosened, turning his face into one of shock. The wrinkles smoothed from his jaw, his eyes, and brow. He was trying to find the voice to say her name as he undid the seal; the bead's tangles loosened, falling from his hands._

"_Yuri . . . I __**have**__ to go," she said._

_Upon that, he blinked and uttered, "But—"_

"_Yuri please, hear me out!" she begged, holding him tighter. Against the head of his spine, her forehead was a bright red that bleed across the entire canvas of her visage. When he said nothing, she continued, "I'm sorry . . . but this isn't how it's supposed to go. I'm not even old enough to be married off, yet; if you weren't village leader, then you really wouldn't be, either._

"_If you let me go, I'll talk to Daddy, and maybe . . . maybe I can get him to think about you. I think you really, really do care about me, even though you kidnapped me instead of asking my dad for me. . . .But for now, I have to go back. Keeping me here isn't the way to do it."_

_The young boy's face twisted despondently."But. . . ."_

_She squeezed him around his waist. "Please. . . ."_

_He closed his mouth. ". . . ."_

_On ground level, the prayer beads clacked across the tile, piling onto one another like a rope. All of the ghosts froze in place, immobile since the medium they would be controlled with was not in the hands of their manipulator. Team Sakura all looked up (excluding Oto) at Yuri and Chiyo as the young boy turned and hugged his crush, gently resting his chin on her head._

"_. . . Please come back, soon. . . ."_

**

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**

"There were no fatalities on our side, thankfully, but once the Daimyo discovered that Chiyo-sama was kidnapped he refused to pay mission fees," Sakura finished. "The mission was completed, but not viewed as 'accomplished.'"

Naruto verified his understanding, however snapped, "The mission got done and his brat was returned safely, just because there was a hitch doesn't mean it wasn't accomplished!" He stood and turned toward the door. "He might be the Daimyo, but that doesn't mean he can skimp on our fees!"

Sakura frowned, planting her hands on her hips. "Sit down, knucklehead! You've got paperwork, don't you?" Naruto grinned sheepishly, remembering. "Is Lee in the village? I can find him and we'll go to collect." She looked at Ao, Oto, and Shouta. "My students are on food pill-energy right now, and should let their injuries heal before the next mission."

Naruto agreed, begrudgingly sitting in his seat, and dismissed her. He then regarded the chuunin, becoming a smidgen more serious than he had been with Sakura. "You three can rest a few days. Then after that, you'll be suspended from missions for awhile. Everything turned out alright in the end, but if that kid's motives had been any different, this mission would've been a complete failure."

The boys nodded earnestly whereas Ao clenched her fists, an action noticed by Shouta. He glanced at her face, seeing that she glared toward the floor; the shame was more prominent. Turning his own stare to the space between him and the Hokage's desk, his expression was a bit lighter.

"You guys can go," the blonde finally said, dismissing them. "Except Ao."

**

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**

Shouta leaned up against the wall of the Hokage Building, watching the door with concern. As he waited, he averted his eyes momentarily and took out a sweetened tart that he popped into his mouth and chewed. _I am never taking Sakura-sensei's food pills again,_ he shivered.

Moments later, Ao burst through the door, startling Shouta to step away from the wall. He called her name and followed her expedited succession of steps. She ignored him, continuing on, hands clenched tightly at her sides.

"Ao-chan!" The brunette followed, jogging a few steps to catch up and grabbed her arm in an attempt to stop her; the young girl may have been smaller in comparison to him, but it became evident that she had more strength. His hold hindered her for only a moment before she pressed on her weight to make him lurch forward and stumble.

"Ah—! Hey, what did the Hokage say to you?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! It shouldn't matter to you," she responded. "Don't know why you waited for me, and frankly don't care. Go—gamble for candy money or something."

He snorted as she continued to pull him along. "So you actually remember my likes. C'mon, Ao-chan . . . a ryo for your thoughts, five for your kiss, ten if you tell me you love me?"

The kunoichi stopped, causing the male nin to collide into her back. She leaned her head back and twisted her neck, looking at him reproachfully, which brought him to smile. _That caught her attention._ "You can talk to me."

". . . ." Her eyes continued to stare into his, considering. They were then lowered, looking around. The area just outside the Leaf Center was empty, mostly, as twilight set in. After a moment of more quiet consideration, she took a few steps forward and peeled Shouta's hand from her arm. About-face to him, she hung her head.

"I deserved the demotion," she said. "I've made a lot of mistakes as a chuunin, particularly in this short time. I've even been wondering if I should just start over—not Academy student, hell no—but maybe genin. And on that last mission, my skills as a shinobi were something to bat an eyelash at. . . ."

The image of her body submerged in the dirt but for her head crossed her mind. Her sharingan eyes burning a hole into the face of the woman standing before her: Kanae. Twisting, and turning, trying to liberate herself, when the woman crouched down in front of her.

Ao swallowed. "My emotions were in the way enough that I allowed Chiyo-sama to be kidnapped. How could I. . . ." Her fists clenched. "Did I even deserve to be promoted in the first place?"

Shouta viewed her with widened eyes and blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Whoa . . . you actually sound so humble . . . wasn't expecting that." He noticed Ao react a little. "Listen . . . you're problem is too much 'I' and not enough 'we.' We're all on teams for a reason, you know; you aren't the only one that messed up. Besides, hypothetically if you were the only one to've messed up, then we should've picked up your slack."

Ao clicked her tongue and twisted half-way toward him.

He chuckled. _Humbling moment over already?_ "It's not good for a shinobi to be too dependent . . . but you're too independent. Anybody can see that about you from a mile away. Well, 'cept Bau." He snickered, looking at her.

She was not amused.

He awkwardly performed a fake cough into his hand, gathering his thoughts. "Any-who . . . you were demoted, so that probably shook you up a bit and made you begin to doubt your abilities, or maybe in your mind you were trying to overcompensate, and since you were trying so hard to prove yourself, you just messed up. It happens.

"Going from working with adults to teens around your age was a big change, too. We weren't even together a full day before being sent on a mission. Teams that aren't used to each other, and don't work well together, don't perform well. It was too soon for us as a team."

"That's a lie!" she snapped. "It's not impossible to accomplish a mission with ninja you've never worked with before. I've done it tons of times. Why are you trying to make excuses for me? They don't change what happened—," she looked away, "—or make them right." She looked back. "Petty excuses not to feel bad. . . ."

The half-smile he wore on his face had driven her to silence. "They're reasons. It's up to you if they're excuses. What about in your home life?"

She blinked. ". . . What?"

"Any big changes there?"

She frowned and blushed. "None of your business." _Sasuke coming back. . . ._

That half-smile remained as he looked away and scratched the back of his head. He almost appeared as if he were a smidgen hurt. "Hmm. . . . Guess that was prying, huh?"

Ao almost felt a minuscule remorse, yet contained her hard stare. "Yes . . . you're too laid back."

Averting his eyes still, he took a few steps forward and shrugged a shoulder. "Never said I was a Gary-Stu. As shinobi, we're supposed to suppress our emotions anyway, so if making excuses will help rid you of some of the guilt and gloom, shouldn't we use them, if only for ourselves?"

Her eyes softened.

"It's important to know your mistakes, but it's also just as important to move on from them. I don't want this failure to affect the next mission. . . . I feel that I can trust you; you need to realize that you can trust us." There was a pregnant pause in which his eyes met her blank stare.

Shouta smiled. "Hey, Ao-chan."

"Huh?"

The boy closed the gap between tem with a few paces, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bringing his mouth near her ear. "I haven't known you for long, but I think you'd be a great teammate, if you'd think less of 'I' and more of 'we.' I kinda like you."

The girl's arms hung rigidly at her sides, a stiffness felt all throughout her body. Her face burned brightly, evident as her head angled back so the slope of her neck fit against his shoulder. She stared skyward to the setting sun with wide eyes and an open jaw. ". . . ." Words failed to come, during her first non-familial embrace, so she closed her mouth, and narrowed her eyes gently.

**

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**

The words engraved within the silver band read, "Never Severed," and a decent-sized ruby had been shaped into something like an ellipse. It was held in a hand adorned in a black glove between pointer finger and thumb. The wearer also bore a long-sleeved mint green turtleneck, thick black cloak, and black capris tucked into knee high zori.

Long, ebony locks curled into cheeks made rosy by the crisp winter weather. Rosette lips formed a soft and sad smile. "'Our bond will never be severed,' huh? Is that why even though you're gone, I can't let you go?" Krystal murmured.

She stood on the edge of the balcony outside her room in snow-laden Britain, left with her thoughts for far too long. It was a starless night; therefore the sole light came through the open doors of her room. The balcony overlooked the garden; however none of the lampposts were lit.

The woman took the ring in her right hand and began to peel off the glove of her left. Soon the wedding band was placed on the finger between her pinky and middle. _How come it still feels so natural to be wearing this? Like . . . like I still feel he'll somehow come back._

She shook her head and took that hand beneath her coat, touching those necklaces. While she had been able to cease wearing the ring for a few years, the necklaces she could not let go. Perhaps it was due to the simple fact that those ties aged back to early childhood. So vividly she could remember the merriment in her heart when she had discovered Sasuke kept his; also the despair when it was one of the items discovered astray in the event of his death.

Actually, it may have been the dark residue within his, the piece of him that seemed to be the sole remainder; his blood that somehow preserved itself in that stone. No longer was it warm, and it was a very tiny, almost insignificant amount of him. Nevertheless to her, it was a priceless token she would forever keep.

A snowflake descended from the sky, joining a collection of them on the balcony's fencing. More followed, some disappearing into Krystal's hair as her body heat melted it. She lifted her head, feeling a few microscopic crystals kiss her cheeks and forehead.

A familiar feeling overcame her, one of phantom accompaniment that cast eerie, yet welcome, warmth across her shoulders. She knew that warmth was false, that the gentle kisses were not cusps of a lover's visage, that the arm around her shoulder was simply that frozen, falling powder thickening and becoming heavy; yet all the same she was feeling comforted, like his will was carried through the precipitation. Though the snow was white, pure; it was cold, but when she was conditioned to it, when the initial icy bite passed, it felt quite nice.

Much like Sasuke himself; though dubbing him "pure" was a stretch.

Silently she allowed herself to indulge, closing her eyes. Flakes were brushed from her brow, caught in her eyelashes, causing her face to scrunch. Feeling the collection grown on her face, she lowered it and began to clear away the snow when she felt a sudden déjà vu.

_"Uchiha Sasuke." A raindrop descended into the depression of his name in the irregularly shaped stone. Another fell, overflowing onto the smooth, black surface; as more rain contacted the stone, it flowed over the rest of the names and pattered onto the cemented circle surrounding the monument._

_The training field that included the Hero's Memorial Stone was quickly drenched in the steadily increasing precipitation. Water trickled and clung to the bushes, grass, and three wooden logs standing not far from the monument. A lone woman stood in the April shower._

_Long, curved and curling, acherontic locks clung to her cheeks, chin, and neck, ending inches past her shoulders. Awhile had passed since she last cut her bangs, for they cast a shadow over pearlescent Hyuuga eyes. She was dressed to mourn, in a black dress with a small V-neck; over it, she wore a long-sleeved, black hoodie, and black zori covered up to her shins._

_Despondently, the widowed Mrs. Uchiha Krystal gazed at the name of her recently deceased husband. Beneath her right palm, their second fetus, subtly presented, was growing within her. She was gently caressing the top of her bump when she squinted her eyes._

_A man entered the area. He was of middle age, with light skin and an unusual, spiked, silver hairstyle that leaned to the side. One of his eyes was covered by his leaf headband, like an eye-patch, and his dark blue turtleneck extended high enough to mask the lower half of his face. Dressed in the typical ensemble for a jonin, he was also wet from the rain. It was shown in his visible eye, colored black, that he recognized her._

_She did not react when he silently came up on her side. Her only movement was to blink as rain dripped from her bang to her eyelash. It was likely that she had not noted his presence. For a moment, he watched her, and then turned his attention to the stone. Silence was complete but for rain and the disturbance of leaves as a breeze ensued. Krystal shivered._

_Remaining as casual as the circumstances would allow, the man had his hands in his pockets, and turned toward her, partially. "Should you be out in this weather? In your current . . . ," he looked at her bump and gestated for a word, ". . . state?"_

_The widow lifted her head, realizing she was no longer alone, and parted her lips, as if to speak. She blinked as more rain clung to her lashes. It seemed that she did not have to look at him directly to realize his identity. "Kakashi . . . sensei. . . ."_

_Suddenly, she reached up and began wiping tears from her eyes, as if just realizing they were present. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her former teacher looked at her in pity. Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder._

Hands, one bare but for her wedding ring, and the other clad in the glove, still just in front of her face, she opened her eyes blankly. She began to stare at the ring, and realized just how harmful it was that she had been left to her thoughts for so long. She could not regress to that stage; no matter how much she longed for him, he was gone . . . forever.

Sadly and solemnly, she slipped the ring off of her hand and put it away. With mild reluctance, she produced Sai's engagement ring and stared at it. Slowly, she eased it into place on her finger. It did not feel completely alien, but not as natural as it did Sasuke's.

_Maybe if I wore if for a bit,_ she thought. _But for now . . . I should probably find Maboroshi-sama._

**

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**

Precipitation also fell from the sky over Konoha, but it was not cold enough to freeze the descending water droplets to snow or hail, remaining a simple, pouring rain. Sasuke sat on one of the roofs of the Uchiha Estate, allowing the shower to wash over him.

He toyed absently with his wedding band. At the time in which he had received it, he had already worn a piece of feminine jewelry for his wife, so in light of his masculinity, there was no gemstone; solely the engraving of "Never Severed."

When he had amnesia, he had not even this reminder of his being matrimonially bound. Normally he would not wear it on missions so as not to lose it, and because ornaments non-uniform often got in one's way. Home, he had found it on the dresser, in his and Krystal's bedroom.

_Just a few months. . . ._

**

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**

Light was breaking through the window of Maboroshi's study, soon angling so it cast directly between the curtains to his lidded eyes. He sat in a red-cushioned, high-backed chair, slumped forward thus the right side of his face laid on the desk.

Long eyelashes fluttered, parting in a squint to show emerald green eyes. Yawning widely, he lifted his head from the surface, moving his arms a little as well; in the process, he knocked over a few stacks of paper. The sheets fluttered down to the floor. A red impression marked his cheek, as he had fallen asleep on a pen.

The British Playboy noticed that the fire within its place, sharing a wall with bookcases, was burning low. He stood and ruffled his golden, wheat-brown locks as he scratched the nape of his neck. Lazily, he sauntered over toward the pile of logs near the fireplace, since the chill was returning to the room.

On his way, the sofa in the center of the room, cushioned similarly to his chair, caught his eye. He noticed with amusement that Krystal laid there, a few papers on the floor around her. She had interrupted his office work the night before and then helped him to complete it; both had fallen asleep.

He paused for a moment, looking at her. She twisted so her hair appeared tousled away from her, providing a peek at the portion of her neck not covered by her turtleneck and skin of her earlobe and jaw line. One hand rested on her abdomen, whereas the other rested on the top of her head. Her cloak blanketed the lower half of her body.

Smiling to himself, he pulled his eyes away from her bust and went to perform as he had originally intended. It occurred to him that she was one of very few attractive women he had been in the same room with, for a night, that he had not become sexually intimate with.

_Oh, I stole that kiss_, he remembered. Years ago, the act of desperation before he was to be matrimonially bound, however he never went further. The Miss Hayden Isabella Bos had literally slapped some sense into him regarding the unfair quality of the situation.

Maboroshi's eyes suddenly appeared to glaze over in worry as he thought of the redhead. Word had yet to come in from the party investigating the Rain Country.

A man entered the room with a tired expression, holding a rolled up parchment. He moved toward Maboroshi, his arm raised so the paper rested against his shoulder, and caught sight of Krystal on the couch. He grinned and looked toward his superior.

_Took him longer than usual to woo this one,_ he thought. He then said in a professional tone. "Lord Maboroshi_—_news from the Rain group. "

His eyes widened both eagerly and at the irony in the timing in which the information had been presented. He took the parchment handed to him in thanks. His underling left without else said.

Maboroshi rolled open the parchment quickly, almost tearing it in the process. His eyes darted across the page; left, right, down, left, right, down, left, right, down—when he reached toward the end, they slowly began to widen, and his mouth opened.

"Hayden. . . . 'My only princess.' . . ."

The last line on the parchment read, "Hayden Isabella Bos is missing; reports say that an English-speaking redhead was captured by the Rain ninja."

**End of Chapter Ten**

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There is no preview for the next chapter because** .:Violets are Blue:. is on an indefinite hiatus. **I, at the moment, am simply not very interested in writing out the ideas---I have this story very well planned, with twists I am proud of; however no one else seems to be respecting that nor the fact that when it comes to a family, it is no longer all about the parents. I conceded that there was a lot of Ao, Oto, and Shouta action, but rest assured in how well I have this series planned out and that it is all necessary.** Now, my hiatuses don't tend to be long, especially when I get feedback,** but those have been lacking lately, so who knows? I would very much like to hear from you, my readers, and I am regretful that it has come to this. I hope this chapter was satisfactory. Thank you for reading and I look forward to continuing this story in hopefully the near future. (It seems the centering option does not wish to comply. Sad day.)


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